Lauren Estes-Velez

Hartselle Enquirer

Once a teacher’s daughter, now a teacher herself, West Morgan math teacher and coach Abbie Harris said she’s enjoyed her five years so far in the career of education.

“I went to The University of Mobile on a golf scholarship after high school, and I was able to come back home to do my student teaching,” Harris said. “I did my student teaching at West Morgan and then filled a maternity leave for the rest of the year. It worked out well because I was hired on the following summer.

“I teach geometry and algebra I, which is ninth, 10th and 11th grades,” Harris said. “West Morgan holds a special place in my heart, and I love working here. The administration is strong, and the teachers are so easy to work with. It is such a team culture at West Morgan.”

Harris is used to being part of a team. She was a standout basketball player at Priceville, named to All-County and All-Area teams in 2007-2008, and she has brought the successful, team mindset with her to the court and the classroom.

“I started coaching at West Morgan when I started my student teaching,” Harris said. “I coach volleyball and basketball and coached softball one year. I enjoy coaching because I love the game, and I love being able to build relationships with my players. It is so important to know how to be a team player, so I hope I am able to teach each of my players that important life skill.

“Coaching is hard. It is long hours and long days, but most days it is worth it.”

The 27-year-old spends a lot of time being with her family and keeping busy with her hobbies, but something that recently became dear to her heart was the mission field.

“I also love spending time at church. I started working with our student ministry last summer at Trinity Baptist Church and enjoy building relationships and helping students strengthen their walk with Christ,” Harris said.

She went on a mission trip this summer to the Dominican Republic. “It was an eight-day trip, and it was life-changing,” Harris said. “It put a lot of things in perspective. One thing it put into perspective is that the United States is such a blessed country. We aren’t in need or want of anything – or at least we think we aren’t in need of anything.

“This trip has helped open my eyes to see that our time is so short here, and once we die, that’s it. If we have a relationship with Christ, we will go to Heaven; if we don’t, we will go to hell. So because of this trip, I have realized that building relationships with my students is so important. That is my goal this year and also to hopefully be a light on the campus and for students to want what I have – and that’s Jesus.”

Harris is an aunt to two nieces and the daughter to a career-long teacher, who Harris said was a positive influence on her in choosing a career of her own.

“My mom was a teacher, and I remember while growing up that I would always have to help her in her classroom in the summer or after school,” Harris said. “She would always have to grade papers at night, and because of all of that, I said I would never be a teacher. I think that God has a sense of humor, and I think that teaching was just in my blood.

“When I was in high school, I forgot about how much work my mom had to do and began thinking that I wanted to be a teacher – except I wanted to be an elementary teacher,” Harris said. “My freshman year at college, I was taking my first education class, and we had a guest speaker who was a principal at a local middle school. I can’t remember what she said, but I called my mom after the class and told her that I wanted to be a secondary math teacher, and the rest is history.”

For Harris, teaching has become about helping her students feel more confident with the math problem at hand when they leave than when they come into her classroom.

“I enjoy working with my students every day, and I enjoy seeing that lightbulb come on when they finally understand why a problem comes out the way it does,” she said. “On my mission trip this summer, there were four students who came on the trip. It was awesome to serve with them and see how God was able to use them even at a young age.”

Harris is finishing her master’s degree  at The University of West Alabama.

“I have three classes left. It has been tough working on my master’s, teaching and coaching,” Harris said. “But once I finish, I know that it will be worth it, and I have learned so much in the process.”