BUTLER, Ala. — Getting up every morning to teach preschoolers is not an easy job for the average teacher, but for Pam Moody, it’s what she loves.

Moody, who teaches K-4 at Patrician Academy in Butler, Ala., is the recipient of the Golden Apple Award for November.

During a school assembly Tuesday morning, Moody was surprised by Patrician Academy Headmaster Billy Burnham and her family, who all celebrated her for this accomplishment.

“I’m really excited about receiving this award, and I just feel honored,” Moody said. “I’m not sure if I’m that deserving of it, but I just love what I do, and I enjoy teaching these kids.”

“I believe this award is a great way to recognize teachers for what they do, and I’m very grateful,” she added.

With 32 years as an experienced educator, Moody began teaching at 25 in the Choctaw County School District alongside her sister Patti Christopher, a first-grade teacher who won the award five years ago.

“It feels great for both of us to have won this award,” she said. “We’ve always worked together, and I’ve just enjoyed teaching my students and sending them right to her where they can continue to build off what I taught them.”

Some people become teachers to make a difference in the lives of students or to share their love of a particular subject, but for Moody, it’s her love for the children.

“I just enjoy the kids,” Moody said. “I don’t feel like it’s really a job. I love coming into my classroom and seeing them, especially with the four-year-olds because they make such great progress.”

“It’s just fun watching them. To see what they come in knowing and then watching them leave with what they have learned, it just gives me great satisfaction,” Moody added.

Working with younger children takes a lot of patience and attention, but Moody feels no pressure and takes on the challenge daily.

“They just get so excited over school,” Moody said. “The kids absolutely love their teachers, and I get excited over them learning so that just drives me, it’s my love for the little ones.”

Teaching preschoolers comes with challenges of its own, but during the COVID-19 pandemic, Moody had to adjust to teaching from home.

“It was a challenge,” she said. “I tried many things to make the class seem normal, but it’s hard to get preschoolers to focus on a Zoom call.”

“I came up with the idea to Zoom with each individual child, and for what it was worth, it worked better than anything else. I’m just fortunate that we were able to get back in the classroom together,” Moody added.

As a teacher, watching students move on to the next grade can be bittersweet, but Moody believes she has instilled some core values in her class that will help her students in the future.

“One thing I try to focus on teaching my students is kindness,” Moody said. “We’re a family in this classroom, we help each other, and we’ll be tied to each other forever.”

“These values are important to me, and it’s something that I will continue to teach,” Moody added.

Golden Apple Award

Moody received $1550 in cash and prizes: $300 cash; $250 gift certificate from Walmart; and $1000 (approximate value) in school supplies from Avery Products. Each Golden Apple Teacher of the Month will be recognized at the Golden Apple Award Banquet on May 25, 2023 at the Mississippi Arts & Entertainment Experience. The Teacher of the Year will receive $1500 and a custom-made Teacher of the Year Trophy. The Teacher of the Year will also be allowed to select a graduating student to receive a scholarship.

Golden Apple Sponsors

Title Sponsorships: East Mississippi Electric Power Association, Coastal Television of Meridian and The Meridian Star; Key Sponsorships: The Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience, Woodstock Furniture, Mississippi Power, Walmart, Avery Products, Richard Schwartz, Something Southern; Participating Sponsor: Meridian Coca-Cola Bottling Company.

How to nominate a teacher

Nominations for the monthly Golden Apple Award can be submitted by parents, faculty, or community members as well as past or present students. Candidates must be a current, full-time, faculty member in Pre-K through 12th grade (public or private) and work in the following counties: Lauderdale, Neshoba, Kemper, Clarke, and Newton in Mississippi; and Choctaw and Sumter in Alabama.

The nomination process consists of an essay (no more than 500 words) detailing why the person should be considered for the award. Nomination details and an entry form are available online at www.goldenappleawards.com.