Malone School teacher instills lifelong lessons in her students

MALONE, Fla. ( WMBB ) – Kayla Johnson is in her second year at Malone School, and whenever her name comes up in conversation her flexibility and willingness to assist in any way possible always come up first.

“She just did whatever I asked her to do. We had her in 5th-grade science, she was willing and she said, ‘I’ll do whatever you need me to do,’ and she’s done that,” said Malone School Principal Bryant Hardy. “Everything I’ve asked her to do, she’s always done it, done it willingly. Usually, there’s a smile on her face, as you can tell.”

For Johnson herself, now teaching 1st grade, watching her students have those light bulb moments makes teaching so special.

Especially because she realizes she is teaching and guiding the next generation.

“These are the next generation, this is our world,” Johnson said. “I feel that it’s important to not only teach them those reading skills but simply teach them those little life skills throughout the day. Because, like I said, this is our next generation. They are going to be the ones out in the world. You want to make sure that they know those different little things about life and about the world that they can carry on with them.”

Johnson’s work ethic and love for teaching make her a joy to work with.

Her bosses can’t stress enough how important she truly is to the school.

“Malone is a small school, and so a lot of times there’s a lot of moving parts, being a smaller school,” Hardy went on to add. “But doing that just means that they care about the school. It shows their willingness to do whatever they got to for the school. It’s a lot of unselfishness just to tell your principal, ‘Hey, I’ll do whatever.’”

Johnson knows how valuable her lessons are and how she is teaching skills that will be carried on for the rest of her student’s lives.

“Just knowing that you had a part of that, reading is something that they’re going to do for the rest of their lives,” Johnson added. “Knowing that at such a young age that you had a special impact on that child, whether they realize it or not, I realize it, and it just brings joy to my heart.

That’s what makes Kayla Johnson a Class Act.

If there is someone who you think is a Class Act nominate them today .

Janitors, cafeteria workers, and bus drivers are all eligible for the award.

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