Seated on a colorful carpet, Weller Elementary School first-graders listen to Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes, read slowly and steadily aloud. Then, as a group, they raise their hands and share their stories about their names.
“Our names are special, in so many different ways,” says teacher Ralene Graves. “With so many different letters and stories. That’s why it’s important for us to know the stories of our names and all the different ways that make them special: syllables, letters, number of letters. Let’s learn together.”
Graves is a first-grade teacher at Weller Elementary School, her home school for the past eight years. But this is only the latest chapter in her story as an educator.
On Aug. 22, Graves began her 38th year teaching in public education.
“I’ve never met someone with so much passion and energy for teaching,” said Dr. Rebecca Donaldson, Weller principal. “She is a dynamic, engaging teacher, who uses signals and specific, proven strategies to keep her students engaged. She models everything for her learners, and she keeps her expectations high.”
Graves began her teaching career in a small K-8 school near Ironton, where she discovered a passion for leading young learners in the classroom. She moved on to teach in Mansfield. And in 1989, she began her teaching career at SPS, serving students at Campbell Elementary School for 25 years as both a teacher and a learning coach. Then, she felt a calling to come to Weller, where she’s served first grade as an exemplary teacher and new teacher liaison, supporting new teachers in her building.
“Teaching is a real calling on my life,” said Graves. “I feel like I’m supposed to be here, that this is what I was intended to do, specifically in Title I schools. The students in Title schools have different struggles, different needs, and I want to support them as they find their way to success.”
Fallon Birchfield is one of Graves’ current first-graders, but he’s not the first in his family to learn from Mrs. Graves. Three of his siblings have also been students of Mrs. Graves, who loves to build connections with her families.
“Mrs. Graves never leaves a student behind,” said Brittany Birchfield, Fallon’s mom. “She makes sure all her students have everything they need, including love and attention. Her teaching methods are so wonderful and her interactions with families and students are one in a million. She’s the true definition of an educator.”
s she helps students count the letters in their names and leads instruction on how to detect a syllable in a word, Graves can’t stop smiling. Her classroom, her students and teaching are what she loves — and she’s just getting started.
“There’s so much else I could do in retirement, so many ways I could volunteer with students and help new teachers not burn out, but there’s so much more I have yet to do in my classroom, for my kids,” she says. “I’m not done yet.”
Mrs. Graves was the 2013 SPS Teacher of the Year and is an alumna of College of the Ozarks.