Michele Dubbs
Michele Dubbs, 1st Grade – Coosa Elementary
Teacher Profile
photos by SUSAN DELOACH
Michele Dubbs born in Beaufort, SC, at the Naval Hospital on the 5th floor. I am a military child. I grew up in Arizona and California. I always loved Beaufort. Summers were unforgettable because I spent time in Beaufort with my grandparents, Frances and “Smitty” Smith. My parents retired to Beaufort in 1979 when I was in 11th grade, and I graduated from Battery Creek High School.
Spouse: David Dubbs (Married 35 years)
Two Children: Blake Dubbs (30) of Greenville, SC – Graduate of Clemson University, Engineer with General Electric.
Bailey Dubbs (23) of Orlando, Florida – Graduate of Winthrop University, Advertising and Marketing with Dream Factory Agency.
Parents: Linda and Terry Neal of Beaufort
Thomas Geiler of Hilton Head
Education
I graduated from the University of South Carolina with a degree in Early Childhood Education in 2004 and started my second career at 40 years of age. I received my Master of Education degree from Lesley University in 2018 with a focus on integrating the arts in education. This is my 17th year teaching.
Prior grades you’ve taught
I taught kindergarten for the first seven years of my career. I taught prekindergarten for four years and first grade for a total of five years.
Current school activities/clubs
Coosa is a 7 Habits – Stephen Covey Lighthouse School. As a part of that program, we have clubs for the students each month. I have a Cooking Club with another first-grade teacher at Coosa, Cynthia Jeffrey. Students learn the names of cooking utensils and get to use them in cooking activities. We decorate cakes, make walking tacos, decorate sugar cookies, and make fondant roses (just some examples). We even made dog bones for the new animal shelter in Okatie last year as part of a service-learning project.
My mom and I sew the flags for the school each year. The students decorate them in art, and they hang on poles that stand in the main driveway at the school. I am also on the school’s Lighthouse team, a part of the 7 Habits at our school. I was the “Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year – 2007” and the Rotary of the Lowcountry “New Beaufort County Elementary School Teacher of the Year – 2009.”
Why did you become a teacher?
I feel that I didn’t choose teaching as a career. It chose me. It all started when I took a few years (10 to be exact) off from work to raise my children. When my children were in school, I started volunteering in the elementary classroom. I loved working with the children and watching their eyes light up when I helped them learn something new. It’s a fantastic feeling. One of my son’s teachers suggested that I go back to school and become a teacher. I went home and told my husband what the teacher said. He said he knew that she was right and that I was going back to college. I’d been out of school for over fifteen years! My entire family rallied around me and helped me as I went through the process to become a teacher. I couldn’t have done it without their support. Graduation day was amazing – I cannot express the feeling of accomplishment. You really can do anything if you set a goal and make a plan!
What do you like most about teaching?
I love becoming a part of the lives of the children and their families. Watching children learn and grow is so amazing! I love the hugs and hearing, “I love you!” It is incredible that parents trust you with their little ones and hand them over willingly every year. It’s an awesome responsibility.
What do you like least about teaching?
I honestly do not enjoy the paperwork! It must be done; I know! But that is my least favorite part. I also do not like promoting my students to the next grade! We become so close as the year goes by. It’s hard to let them go.
What do you do to keep your students engaged in learning?
Keeping students engaged is so important. Using the arts and integrating the Seven Habits of Happy Kids are an excellent combination for keeping students engaged. The arts and Seven Habits help build a community in my classroom. Students feel free to collaborate, share their ideas, and express themselves. My students take risks and use higher-level thinking skills because of the classroom community.
My master’s thesis, which I wrote with another teacher at Coosa Elementary, was based on how to integrate the arts into the 7 Habits. We presented our work at the “Leader in Me” conference in Hilton Head last spring.
If you weren’t a teacher, what do you think you’d be doing?
If I could not be a teacher, I would be a pastry chef. Baking is my favorite hobby! I’ve made five wedding cakes and numerous birthday cakes. Christmas is my favorite holiday – baking cookies, cakes, pies, and gingerbread houses with my family and friends is a great way to enjoy the season!
Funny teacher story
I had a very active student. Every morning when he would come to school, I would ask him what he had for breakfast. He always told me he had a Coke and a Nestle Crunch bar. I thought he was joking. I scheduled a parent teacher meeting with the boy’s parents. His mother showed up for the conference, and I couldn’t wait to ask her what her son had for breakfast each morning. She paused when I asked the question, so I told her what he told me every day. She said she was embarrassed but that it was true. We talked about how that could cause him to be overly active. I couldn’t wait for the next morning, so I could ask the little boy what he had for breakfast. When I asked him what he had, he yelled at me and said, “I had to have a Pepsi today because my mom said you said I can’t have Coke anymore.” I didn’t know what to say. I could hardly hold in my laughter!
Memorable Teacher Moment
My classroom parents knew that I would go to Hawaii for my 25th wedding anniversary over Spring Break ten years ago. They showed up the Friday before my trip and prepared a luau party for the entire class, complete with Hawaiian Leis to send me off on my second honeymoon. I’ve been blessed with the best parents year after year!
