![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/tullahoma\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2024\/05\/2-1024x683.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nShe and her husband, Wesley, experienced infertility and recurrent miscarriages for five years. Sullenger-Painter credits her number one accomplishment in life as having her son, Pearson, five years ago. She\u2019d grown accustomed to buckling down and studying harder to overcome past academic challenges, but in the years before her son was born, Sullenger-Painter learned that some things in life are beyond our control. This heartache stretched her faith beyond what she imagined, and now, her \u201cmischievous\u201d little boy serves as a daily reminder that nothing is ever impossible with God. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAmong other accomplishments, I graduated from Tennessee Technological University, where I earned my bachelor\u2019s degree in multidisciplinary science for pre-K through sixth grade. For the last 13 years, I\u2019ve proudly owned my own preschool, Caterpillar Academy, and recently purchased Yardy Party TN. Over the years, I\u2019ve tried to always give back to my community by volunteering my time and participating in activities,\u201d said Sullenger-Painter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The experiences of her childhood fondly influenced her career choice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI chose to work with children because my mother kept kids, and I saw the enjoyment she got out of the profession. Over the years, I participated in a lot of volunteer work. Some of the opportunities were being a counselor for Girl Scouts, teaching Bible school, and coaching Pop Warner cheerleading. Through these activities and being inspired by other teachers, it inspired me to this profession.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe most important aspect of my job is that my kids at Caterpillar Academy are allowed to be kids. They are learning new things while having fun. But most of all, my students know they are loved. We never say \u2018I can\u2019t\u2019 in our school. We try, and then we try again until we achieve our goal. I fully believe everyone learns better based on what they enjoy.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n When asked who her biggest cheerleader has been, it was no surprise that Sullenger-Painter named her mother, Kim Dodson, who has always lovingly pushed her to keep moving forward. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA lot of people would not know meeting me that I have epilepsy. It made a lot of obstacles when it came to learning. I struggled in school and always had to work a little harder. My mom was there, always pushing and fighting for me when it came to my education. She always held me to high expectations. I learned a long time ago nothing can hold you back, and you never use your diagnosis as an excuse. I am very thankful for that because it gave me an excellent work ethic and made me hold myself to higher expectations.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether teaching her students at Caterpillar Academy, leading a lesson at vacation Bible school, or singing and dancing at the South Jackson Performing Arts Center, Sullenger-Painter is actively weaving a legacy of teaching others never to underestimate themselves. GN <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cJACQUELINE SULLENGER-PAINTER has changed the world with her teaching,\u201d said her mother, Kim Dodson. \u201cShe is a certified teacher who owns Caterpillar Academy in Tullahoma, and she\u2019s overcome many adversities in her life. At age 4, she was diagnosed with epilepsy, a seizure disorder. Because she struggled with reading, she was placed in a Chapter […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":21996,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/tullahoma\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2024\/05\/1-1024x683.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n