- December 24, 2024
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Indian Trails Middle School Teacher of the Year Brandy Anderson remembers her father telling her to do what she loves for a living so she’ll never have to work a day in her life.
For Anderson, that meant teaching, which is what she has wanted to do since she was in first grade.
“My first grade teacher, Mrs. Joy Shannafelt-Kettering was my inspiration,” Anderson said. “My sisters were my first ‘students.’ I used to make them play school since we were 7.”
Anderson has been teaching for 16 years. She currently teaches seventh grade civics at Indian Trails.
The relationships you build over the school year become meaningful, and they make everything great about waking up in the morning and coming to school.
— BRANDY ANDERSON, Indian Trails Middle School Teacher of the Year
She said being nominated for Flagler Schools’ Teacher of the Year and representing ITMS is a “complete honor.”
“One thing I am taking away from this experience is the nomination I share with so many other talented teachers in the district,” she said. “It takes a village to educate children. You all are amazing and play an important role in that responsibility.”
In recommending Anderson for Flagler Schools Teacher of the Year, ITMS Principal Ryan Andrews said she is a dynamic teacher who takes her preparation to the next level.
“She spends hours not only preparing relevant and engaging activities for her students but equally as much time reflecting on what worked and didn't work so the next lesson can be even better than the last,” Andrews wrote.
Anderson said her students keep her motivated.
“No one else can do what we do,” she said. “I show up for them and take that responsibility as their teacher seriously.”
Teaching may be the only job Anderson ever wanted, but during her first year the challenges seemed overwhelming.
“Those were hard days,” she said. “Crying in the parking lot was a daily thing. Teaching in a Title 1 school, I felt I was not equipped for the real life scenarios that were playing out in my classroom, despite the numerous college courses and teaching credentials I had achieved. I realized relationships are everything in the classroom. Teaching based off of pedagogy presented in a college coursebook would simply not be enough. That experience gave me the interpersonal skills I needed to be successful throughout the rest of my career.”
When she’s not working, Anderson enjoys running, reading, traveling and spending time with her husband and 4-year-old. But, taking her father’s advice, her “work” is a labor of love.
“My favorite thing about teaching is the kids,” she said. “They are my ‘why.’ The relationships you build over the school year become meaningful, and they make everything great about waking up in the morning and coming to school.”
