Gerri McDonald has become an institution at Perdido Elementary / Middle School now that she has taught at the school for 14 years.

McDonald, who is the gifted education teacher for third through eighth grades, is in the middle of her 33rd year of teaching.

She received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in elementary education from the University of West Florida and her certification in gifted education from the University of South Alabama.

Before she came teach at Perdido, McDonald taught at schools in Florida, Tennessee and California.

McDonald says she was first interested in teaching because she would be working during the same hours of the day that her children were in school.

“Once I began teaching, however, the satisfaction of seeing my students’ excitement grow as they learned new skills and concepts became my motivation,” McDonald says. “We, as teachers, are given a unique opportunity to have a marked impact on our student’s development outside of the classroom.”

McDonald says the ability to dare her students to improve themselves outside of the classroom has easily become her favorite facet of the profession.

“My favorite aspect of teaching, especially in the gifted program, is that I have the opportunity to challenge my students far beyond the general classroom curriculum,” McDonald says. “The No. 1 goal I hope to instill in my students is a curiosity and love of continued learning. I want them to remember that all learning does not come from a book, but in the opportunities and experiences they have to be involved in every day.”

McDonald says her love for teaching students beyond the lesson plan comes from her mother Doris Van Pelt, who was a teacher herself for 30 years in Alabama and Florida.

She says her mother introduced to her the belief that first-hand lessons and one-on-one attention were the best ways for her students to learn.

“One of my personal favorite memories was that she didn’t just ‘teach the text,” McDonald says. “She instilled the belief that children need real world experiences that supported and expanded on the curriculum being taught.”

TEACHER: Gerri McDonald

SCHOOL: Perdido Elementary / Middle School

SUBJECTS TAUGHT: Gifted education, third through eight grades.

SOMETHING UNUSUAL ABOUT YOURSELF: One of the most poignant moments of her teaching career came on 9/11/01.

“Only a couple of weeks into the school year I had my eighth grade students in the library watching the 9/11/2001 tragedy unfold on television. I will never forget one student telling me that his family had never been to church, and that was the one place he wanted to go right then. Before I could respond, the entire class wanted to know if they could pray.”