Editor’s note: This is part of a series of Teacher Spotlight articles about educators nominated by principals in and around Kingsport.
CHURCH HILL — Volunteer High School Principal Greg Sturgill has nominated Maria Benavides for the Times News Teacher Spotlight.
“Mrs. Maria Benavides has been teaching in the Hawkins County school system for approximately 15 years,” Sturgill and Assistant Principal Tamma Jackson wrote in an emailed nomination of Benavides.
“She has taught English in grades 6 through 12 at Rogersville Middle School and at Volunteer High School, where she currently teaches 10th and 12th grade English. She is the English Department chair and a teacher leader for VHS.
“Mrs. B., as most of her students call her, wanted to become a teacher since she was a little girl. Her grandparents had several old wooden student desks that she would set up in rows outside in the yard. When her cousins would come to visit, she would tell them which seat was theirs and tear out pages from old workbooks for each one of them to complete. She would then grade it and give it back with a sticker at the top.
“She knew she wanted to be a teacher, but it wasn’t until she started high school that she realized she wanted to be a high school teacher. She had many wonderful teachers while attending Volunteer High School. Mr. (Gary) Birchfield, Coach (Curtis) Mawk, Mr. (Pat) Lyons, Mrs. (Shirley) Whitt, Mr. (Mark) Weatherly and Mr. (Danny) Thurman were only a few of them.
“It was the English teachers who won out, though, in influencing her the most and led to her becoming an English teacher.
“Mrs. Benavides teaches for one reason: the students. She is always there for her ‘kiddos’ as she calls them. If they need help with anything, she is at school at 6:45 every morning and stays many times in the afternoons to help in whatever way she can. Mrs. Benavides also tries to help the staff and administration with anything from mentoring new teachers to collecting tickets at the gate of sporting events. She always tries to pitch in when she can.”
The administrators said that is one of the greatest things about Benavides: her willingness to give.
“She gives her all in trying to help her students, her school, and her community. She is an asset, not only for those of us here at Volunteer High School, but also for the entire Hawkins County region,” the administrators wrote. “We are so fortunate to have her here.”
Benavides said she loves to teach at Volunteer.
“I thank God for every blessing he has given me, which includes the blessing of being able to teach at my alma mater, Volunteer High School,” she said.
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