Rebecca Barnes

It was September 1979 and I was five years old. It was my first day of kindergarten. I don’t remember a lot of specifics, except that I was thoroughly exhausted and happy at the end of the half-day class. That was the last year Fannin County Schools offered half-day kindergarten classes.

As an only child, I was always into something during school and I absolutely loved the interaction with all the new children and adults in my life. I knew within the first month of that new experience I wanted to do what Mrs. Flora Grindstaff did-she was my teacher along with Mrs. Imogene Richards who was what we call today, the paraprofessional-I wanted to be a teacher!

Looking back now, I’m sure I was always in the way, trying to be the teacher’s helper, asking if I could put smiley faces on papers, rearranging the bookshelf (by book size, not by subject-which got me in trouble), always trying to be of some sort of assistance to both my teachers and at the same time was probably extremely annoying to them. But, in all the crazy things I remember doing that first year of school, in kindergarten, nothing remains clearer in my mind than the growing desire I had to be a teacher.

My desire to be a teacher continued to grow throughout the rest of my years at Epworth Elementary School, while at West Fannin Middle School and even during high school. I never veered in any other direction. I was fortunate enough to have some wonderful teachers who had high expectations and were encouraging in many different aspects.

I am thankful that I had the opportunity to grow up and attend school in this rural town and make it my home as an adult!

I have two rescue dogs, but I prefer to think that they rescued me. Graham is a 100 pound Golden Retriever and Winchester is a 40 pound Pembroke Corgi. I love these dogs like others love their children. As I've said many times, they have more presents under the Christmas Tree than any human. I recently lost my Cinnamon, who was my child, a 40 pound Bassett-Corgi mix of 16 years. It has been a devastating time.

B.S. Elementary Education

M.Ed. Elementary Education

Ed.S. Curriculum & Instruction

Ed.D Instructional Leadership