Golden Apple Award: Maggie Caruso, Skillern Elementary

SODDY-DAISY, Tenn. (WDEF) – Skillern Elementary School is proud to offer a different kind of educational experience for students. A healthy dose of outdoor activities and a holistic approach sets the school apart. That can be a challenge for teachers, but Maggie Caruso has met that challenge with a smile on her face.

Angie Markum is the CEO and Founder of Skillern Elementary School.

She says, “All kindergarten teachers are just amazing humans, but Mrs. Caruso is the next level of kindergarten teachers, her professionalism, her care for students, her lessons are always outstanding. She can always be depended upon. She is very deserving of this award.”

When asked to describe herself, Ms. Caruso says, “Maggie Caruso is a mom to four kids. I am a teacher. I taught pre-K, and I taught kindergarten for over 12 years, and I just really love what I do.”

She continues, “When I was in college, I was a nursing major to begin with, but then I worked at a summer camp, and I just love working with the kids, all different ages, during the camp, and just found out that I got a lot of fulfillment. I think that kindergarten is one of the most important grade levels, because you are laying the foundation for reading, phonics instruction, everything for their future. They’re just going to love school. It needs to be a positive experience when you begin schools, first time being away from your families and it should be a fun and exciting, and I am just a really happy place for kids to come to. I love teaching the kids how to read and to become lifelong learners and readers. I love it here at Skillern that we teach the virtues, and I hope that I will just carry with them, and they’ll be able to tell right and wrong for the rest of their lives.”