We want to say THANK YOU to our area’s teachers!
We appreciate all of you each and every day. That’s why we’re going to celebrate YOU, and we want all of NEPA to hear.
Tell us about your deserving teacher below: Why are you nominating them? Do you see the hard work they put in everyday? Did they have an impact on your school years? We want listeners to tell the area how great our NEPA teachers are!
Nominate your TEACHER OF THE MONTH below and check back each month to see our latest honoree
SEPTEMBER 2024
JoAnn Coates, First Grade
Chester St. Elementary – WVW School District
“My elementary teachers made a lasting impression on me. I knew as early as third grade that I wanted to become a teacher so that I could hopefully have the opportunity to make a similar impact on a child’s life. Also, being one of 7 children, I had siblings readily available to play school with me, and I always had to be the teacher! 🤣I would mimic what my teachers said and did while I was in class. Teaching was my dream job and the only profession I could ever see myself pursuing!
I was hired by the Wyoming Valley West School District 28 years ago and have taught in various schools and several different grade levels ranging from second to third and even fifth grades. I currently L❤️VE teaching my first graders at Chester Street Elementary School in Kingston! My little 6 year old students are bundles of energy and curiosity, and they definitely keep me on my toes! No two days are ever the same, and they are so busy that they fly by very quickly! I always come prepared with an abundance of patience, and I never tire of their innocence! They truly help me keep things in perspective and often even teach me a few things as well! Each day we read, sing, spell, learn phonics with Fundations, do math, science and social studies, make crafts, use technology, recite rhymes to help us remember key ideas, take brain breaks, have 2 recesses, eat lunch & snack, have specials, and earn individual and class rewards for positive behaviors! I am so fortunate to have a job that rarely feels like work! I love seeing their spark for learning grow and I cannot put into words the joy that I feel when their hard work pays off and a concept finally clicks for my students!
As far as my teaching style goes, I’d have to say that I believe in teaching to a child’s social and emotional needs before touching on any academics. I strive for my students to feel comfortable and respected in my classroom first, and then once that mutual trust is established, I believe they are empowered to try their best and succeed. I reassure them that mistakes are okay and teach them to learn from them. The majority of my day revolves around modeling socially appropriate behaviors so my students are able to make good choices and evolve into productive humans with positive character traits. In my opinion, it’s just as essential for the students to remember how I made them feel as it is for them to remember what I taught them.
My husband of 26 years, Scott, just retired in June from teaching chorus at the Wyoming Valley West Middle School, and we have two children. Our son, Nathan, is a freshman in college and our daughter, Carlee, is in seventh grade.”
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