ALTON - Kindergarten teacher Jordan Brannon did not know she was nominated when she received the Teacher of the Year Award from the Boys and Girls Club of Alton.
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Brannon accepted the award at a banquet April 12, after being nominated by Alton School District Superintendent Dr. Kenneth Spells. Spells was one of Brannon's instructors at Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville (SIUE), where Brannon received her master's degree in education administration.
“Jordan (Brannon) is a great teacher,” Spells said in an email. “She is well-respected among parents and colleagues. Jordan volunteers with the Reach Out and Read (ROAR) Program, and she is committed to student success. I believe she will be an excellent principal one day.”
While being a principal may be on Brannon's eventual to-do list, she said she is happy with her current position of teaching kindergarteners at East Elementary School.
“Having kindergarten, my favorite part is seeing them in the morning, and being a person they look up to,” she said. They're little sponges. They want to learn about everything. They're curious about everything. I get to see a lot of growth and progress. They seem like babies when they start.”
Brannon has taught kindergarten at East for six years. Previous to that, she spent two years teaching fifth-grade students at West Elementary. She has been employed by the Alton School District for eight years, and spent time student-teaching in the district prior to her hire. She intends on staying within the Alton School District in the future.
“This is the only district I've taught in,” Brannon said. “I've had nothing but good experiences here. I've been given a lot of reasons to stay and opportunities to grow.”
Brannon is not sure where she will be placed next year, due to the Alton School District's paired schools attendance centers for the 2016-17 school year, but hopes she can continue teaching kindergarten in the district.
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