TEACHER OF THE YEAR: Limestone County native among 16 finalists – News Courier

A 14-year veteran teacher with Limestone County Schools has made it into the top 16 finalists for state Teacher of the Year, though she'll be representing the county from her new position in DeKalb County.

Special education teacher Tonia Wilburn, back row left, stands with her then-aide China Wilson and some of her students from Tanner Elementary School Skylin, Hector, Kelsey, Jah'zara, Gloriauna and Vamareus. Wilburn has been named one of 16 finalists for state Teacher of the Year.

Tonia Wilburn has been a special education teacher for Tanner Elementary and High schools for all but a few weeks of her education career so far.She was born and raised in Limestone County, even getting her bachelor's degree from Athens State University.

Wilburn said her cousin, who has cerebral palsy, inspired her to go into special education as a teacher.

"Once I decided to do it and started doing it, I can't imagine doing anything else for the rest of my life," Wilburn said. "It's what I was put on this earth to do, for sure."

She said the relationships she builds with her students and their parents are some of her favorite parts of being a special education teacher. She said she is "forever, forever grateful" for the time she has spent at Tanner Elementary, at Tanner High and with Limestone County Schools.

"Without them, I would not have the knowledge and support for where I am today," Wilburn said. "... They have been a great place to work for, and never in so many years did I think this would be in God's plan, but here we are."

The mother of two recently remarried and moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee. She was named 2020-2021 Elementary Teacher of the Year for Tanner Elementary and Limestone County Schools, but had resigned from LCS and taken a job nearer to her new home before the Alabama State Department of Education announced the District 8 Elementary Teacher of the Year.

As a result, when the ALSDE named her as the District 8 rep and a finalist for state Teacher of the Year, it did so while saying she was a DeKalb County teacher.

Tonia Wilburn, second from left, stands with, from left, Emily Carter, Tanner Support Person of the Year Yadira Rubio and Tanner Elementary Principal Sylvia Haslam during the school's Teacher of the Year ceremony.

Wilburn said she knows she doesn't really represent Limestone County anymore, but she feels like she represents it even more. She feels honored even to be considered so much so, in fact, that when she heard the news, she didn't believe it was true.

"I honestly pulled back out my paperwork from when I submitted it and was like, 'What did I write on the paperwork to make them pick me? I just wrote what I feel,'" Wilburn said.

She said she wrote about the difficulties educators face in helping students as they struggle with mental health, in helping students prepare for the real world beyond education and in battling burnout as an educator.

To the first, Wilburn said she wrote about mental health issues being on the rise among students.

"Educators don't have the knowledge and ability to even recognize the signs, and even when we do recognize the signs, we don't have the capacity to help them within our jobs ... just coping with the hardships and the things like that that come along with students, and then trying to educate them" on top of it, Wilburn said.

She said in her classroom, she deals with a lot of behavioral issues among students, so she has to find a way to teach them the school lessons they need while also teaching social skills and real-life lessons. That includes focusing on how to approach problems in a different way, meeting with students on their level and setting goals every day.

However, she knows the demands of the job can sometimes become too much, leaving good educators too burnt out to continue after only a few years in the field. Wilburn advises all teachers to remember why they do what they do to change lives, make a difference and help students get where they need to be.

"Keep the main things the main things, which is loving and teaching those babies," she said. "Let the other stuff fall in line after that."

She said the advice is good for everyone, no matter what they do or where they are in life.

"I say it all the time, but don't sweat the small stuff," Wilburn said. "Don't let little things ruin your day or drive your day bad. Just in life, in general, don't respond angry. Let small stuff go, and think about it, and then two hours later, if it's still a big deal to you, handle it then."

ALSDE will announce in August which of the 16 finalists will be the 2020-2021 state Teacher of the Year. Wilburn said it was an honor to be named a finalist, but if that's as far as it gets, it's OK.

She'll still be working with students in special education, helping them achieve and prepare for the next stage of their lives, and she plans to keep doing that, no matter what.

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TEACHER OF THE YEAR: Limestone County native among 16 finalists - News Courier