Norma Evans

Connecting Learning And Life

photos by SUSAN DELOACH

Name: Norma Evans

Family: I have been married to Herschel Evans for over 30 years. We have two adult children. Our daughter, Michelle, lives in Beaufort with our two grandsons. Bryce is a junior at Beaufort High School and Kade is a 6th grader at Riverview. Our son, Ethan, lives in Hickory, NC. We also have two dogs (Dixie and Bo) and two cats (Miss Grace and Midnight).
Education: I have a bachelor of arts degree in Education from USC-A and a master’s degree in Instructional Leadership from National University. I am a National Board-Certified Teacher, and hold endorsements for Gifted and Talented Education and Literacy.

Number of years in education: I have been teaching for 23 years, all at Coosa! I did my student teaching at Coosa when the school was first opened.

Career background: I have been the Instructional Coach for Coosa since 2018. This allows me to work with all teachers and students across content areas. It’s a great role to have in a school as I get to work with and know so many of the students. I love being able to work with the teachers as I always learn from others.

I taught a K-2 multiage class for ten years. That was a great experience because my students usually stayed with me for three years. I then taught first, second, and third grades prior to becoming our school’s Instructional Coach. At the elementary level, teachers teach all content areas: English/Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies.

School activities/clubs: I am currently a member of our Math Action Team but provide support wherever needed.

Why did you become a teacher? Prior to becoming a teacher, I was a school secretary for 14 years. I was at Shell Point Elementary for eight years and at a DoD school on Laurel Bay for six years. During those years, I had the opportunity to see many gifted teachers in action and the difference they made in the lives of their students. I’ve always loved working with children and was encouraged by my principal, Mary Towery, and fellow secretary, Jan Bowers, to go back and complete my degree. Both ladies were and still are very influential in my life, and I was so fortunate to have their support.

What do you like most about teaching? I absolutely love working with children! Students’ “aha” moments when they finally master a skill or concept are priceless. Working with children is fun, and it keeps you young at heart.

What do you like least about teaching? My least favorite thing about teaching is there is never enough time. Teaching is a vast responsibility. There’s so much to do when the children are in the building—so many teachable moments, learning extensions, and remediation. There’s so much to do when they aren’t in the building too! On another note, my least favorite thing for me is inside recess! I always love being outside, and the children really need to get out, breathe fresh air, get loud, and get active!

What do you do to keep your students engaged in learning? Engagement is essential. They won’t learn if they aren’t engaged. I try to make sure my students know what they’re learning, why they’re learning it, and how it connects to life. I also try to be responsive and keep the lessons moving at an appropriate pace. Using humor, movement, music, and collaborative discussions are also key elements of engagement.

What do you think you’d be doing if you weren’t an educator? If I weren’t teaching, I’d be working with animals. I currently serve on turtle patrol teams for two local islands during sea turtle nesting seasons and feed feral cats. So, if I wasn’t a teacher, I’m certain I would be working with animals in some capacity. But not spiders, never spiders!

Funny teacher story: It would be safe to say that I laugh every day working with children. Their honesty, innocence, and world perspective are endearing. However, the most memorable experience was when I was being observed by my principal, Cindy Keener, early in my career. A student gave me a pet rat because he couldn’t keep it at home. He brought it in a shoebox, and the only thing I had at school to put her in was an empty birdcage. I don’t know why I even had a birdcage! So, I put Ricki in the birdcage and put it in a prominent place in the classroom, so the students could see her. Then my principal came in for an unscheduled observation. I was teaching a reading group who were very distracted by Ricki. I had to remove Ricki from the group’s proximity so they could focus. As I picked up the cage, the bottom fell out, and the poor, scared rat was scurrying back and forth as I tried to capture it with the top of the birdcage, all the while, the children were yelling, “Stop! You’re going to hurt her!” I finally reached down and scooped up the rat, put her in her cage, and put her in the closet to rest. I calmed and refocused the children, reassuring them that I would never hurt an animal. We were all laughing, and the children seemed impressed that I picked up a rat I’d just met, but I was terrified to look across the room at my principal. When I finally mustered the courage, I was relieved to see she was laughing hysterically as well. I scored well on that observation, and it taught me to see the humor in all situations. Plus, Ricki was the best class rat we ever had!