Jo Ann Lawhorn — ESL teacher

TEACHER: Jo Ann Lawhorn

SCHOOL: North Baldwin Schools

SUBJECTS TAUGHT: English as a second language resource teacher

SOMETHING UNUSUAL ABOUT YOURSELF: Probably that I do not enjoy reading! When they groan about reading, I tell them I never enjoyed reading and still don't, but I read constantly. It's like second nature to me because it is not only for survival; it takes me to greater heights in personal development and life in general. I don't really enjoy novels, but I enjoy self-help books and Bible literacy, which opens a whole new life of knowing God and living a meaningful and happy life.

As her third child was entering kindergarten, Jo Ann Lawhorn decided she needed to go back to work. She had to decide whether to step into her undergraduate field of social work, try to find a job using her master’s degree in religious education, or start a new field. She wanted to be near her children and has always enjoyed a school setting; she decided to enter the Alternative Master’s in Education Program at the University of Mobile.

“After completing that certification, I taught first and third grades at Bay Minette Elementary School and then third grade at Stapleton School,” Lawhorn says. “Twelve years ago I was certified to teach English as a second language and began teaching English language learners (ELL) primarily in north Baldwin schools.” 

Lawhorn’s greatest joy in teaching is seeing students succeed and overcome various obstacles in life.

“I’m at a point now of seeing some of my first students graduate from high school and some enroll their own children in kindergarten,” she says. “As for overcoming obstacles, I certainly see that daily as I watch ELLs move into a new culture and language setting determined to make a better life for themselves. I enjoy meeting families from around the world.”

This fall she has already met new families from Colombia, Nicaragua, the Philippines, Vietnam, Germany and Japan; those are added to the families already here from Mexico, China, Russia, Puerto Rico and Cambodia.

When Lawhorn isn’t teaching, she and her husband enjoy time with their grown children and their families.

“It's a great new season to us watching our adult children mature in life, getting to know our son-in-law and daughter-in-law and having a blast with our three grandkids and two grand dogs,” Lawhorn says. “My Stapleton Baptist Church family is vital to me. A lot is going on in the family of God today, across denominations. It is an exciting time to be a part of what God is doing in our world, despite the horrifying events we see around us. I am extremely blessed with good people all around me. It's a wonderful life.”