MUCH OF education, it feels, centers on a correct answer. Knowing the answer is the key to success, and fourth grade teacher Kelly Heflin gets it in more ways than one.
Many children answer “teacher” to the what do you want to be when you grow up question. Some choose other careers, but Heflin’s answer never wavered. Whether wired from birth to teach or influenced by former Cascade teacher Becky Spencer, who was like a grandmother, Heflin is confident she’s where she’s supposed to be.
It’s affirmed when her students grasp a concept she’s been teaching — the light-bulb moment often witnessed by teachers. Reaching children where they are is a challenge with today’s fast-paced curriculum, so the value of such moments can’t be underrated. Seeing her students come up with the correct answer after struggling is one of her greatest rewards.
“You can see when they understand. Being able to make a difference and help them grow from where they are is my favorite thing” said Heflin.
In her 22 years at Eastside, Heflin has helped countless students grow from where they are. Running into students everywhere she goes confirms it, many of them stopping for hugs and hellos. She cares for more than their class progress.
She said, “You worry about them. Many are dealing with things in their home life.
You worry about what they’re going through and whether or not they’re eating. And you still have to teach and grade papers. It’s not just an 8 o’clock to 3 o’clock job.”
The students become family, and the staff and administrators at Eastside are Heflin’s family, too.
Eastside’s K-4th 2022-23 Teacher of the Year taught math when fourth graders changed classes but now covers English language arts, science, and social studies in addition to math in her self-contained classroom. She was a developmental kindergarten teacher for eight years before moving to fourth grade.
“We’ve got great administration. Mrs.Talbott and Mrs. Simons are wonderful to work for,” Heflin said. “We’re just like a big family; I’ve always felt at home here. We’re very loving and caring towards each other, and If somebody has a need, we all pitch in just like family.”
Kelly has been married to Mike Heflin for 22 years. They are parents to two daughters, Hannah, who is currently student teaching and will soon graduate from MTSU, and Krista, an EMT. They also have a son, Micah, a high school junior. A one-year-old granddaughter rounds out their family and has stolen her Roo Roo’s heart. While Roo Roo is not your average grandmother name, Kelly wasn’t ready for the more traditional names, which felt too mature for her season in life. After tossing out her mother’s other suggestions and searching animal names, “rooster” stuck and became Roo Roo, and Kelly is good with that.
Surrounded by family wherever she goes, Kelly can confidently answer one last question — she’s where she’s meant to be at Eastside Elementary. GN
