ELSANOR, Ala. — “Teaching is truly a work of heart.”

Those words from Kathy McMillan, Elsanor Elementary School’s 2010-11 Teacher of the Year, are put into practice everyday as she teaches and encourages her 45 special education students.

With 25 years of teaching experience and spending the last 13 years at Elsanor School, this is McMillan’s second time to receive teacher of the year honors. The first time was in 1999-2000. McMillan also won the same honor when she was a special ed. teacher at Heken Caro Elementary, an inner city school in Pensacola, in 1993-94.

“This was such a surprise for me. I had no idea I would get it twice. It is such an honor and a blessing to receive this,” said McMillan.

Interacting with K-sixth grade students in the resource room and co-teaching reading and math in inclusion classrooms, McMillan has developed a specific teaching strategy over the years to help her students succeed.

“I believe all students can and will learn in the right environment and we must treat each student as an individual, setting high expectations regardless of their ability or disability. My motto is ‘whatever it takes’. If a student is not achieving, I believe I must look at myself first and determine what I can do differently as a teacher to bring about a positive change in my students,” McMillan explained.

Born and raised in Florida, McMillan got her Associates Degree in Education from Chipola Junior College in Marianna, Fl in 1984 and then received her B.A. in Special Education in 1986 from the University of West Florida in Pensacola. She then got a Master’s in Special Education in 2008 from Grand Canyon University.

Building trust is essential in getting students to succeed, McMillan said. “For some of those students, building their trust must come first if any progress is to be made academically and or behaviorally. It has been my experience that students tend to work harder for their teachers when a trusting and caring relationship exits between the student and teacher.”

When a new student gets referred to McMillan, she creates a “blueprint” for them to aid in the teaching process. “The regular classroom teacher and myself plan our lessons around the needs and learning styles of our students making sure we include instructional strategies like auditory, visual, kinesthetic and tactile activities.”

And it’s not in the test scores that McMillan finds rewards in. It’s “when a former student returns to thank me or to invite me to their high school graduation. It’s the smile on the face of the ‘tough kid’ when he or she makes the honor roll for the first time. Teaching comes from within.”

The spark that ignited McMillan’s passion for teaching came from her mom. “As a child, my mother instilled in me the importance of staying in school and receiving a good education. This was something she felt very strongly about as a result of her own lack of education.”

Recalling her mom having difficulties reading and doing her work and the struggles she faced dealing with other students calling her names is what McMillan didn’t want her students to experience.

“Hearing the heartbreak in her voice as she told me stories of her school experience helped me realize that I never wanted another student to feel the way my mother did when she was in school,” McMillan said.

Encouraging teachers also shaped who McMillan is today. “My teachers always made me feel as if I was the most important person in the room encouraging me to do my best, set goals for the future and pursue higher education. I was the first in my family to attend college and I have been able to help students who experience learning difficulties similar to those of my mother.”

In addition to teaching, McMillan organized the Fall Festival and Christmas program at Elsanor and is also an after-school tutor. In the past before email, McMillan and her students ran a school post office that delivered mail throughout the school.

“I was trying to give them something fun to do as well as teach them job skills. Trying to get them to feel good about themselves and feel successful too. I want them to blend in and don’t want to single them out,” McMillan said.

McMillan’s colleagues seem to think she is something special too. “Kathy is one of the hardest-working, selfless, child-centered, understanding, sensitive, conscientious, overachieving teachers I have ever worked with. She always puts others’ needs before her own and is always willing to learn new things and try new ideas in order to reach every child,” said Susan Runnels, Elsanor principal.

Ashley Powe, McMillan’s 4th grade co-teacher, said “she always seems to know exactly what a student needs to understand the concept and how to meet those needs so they can achieve a higher level of understanding. Her dedication to the students at Elsanor is awe-inspiring and truly worthy of recognition. Kathy has thrown herself into developing new fundraising activities to benefit the lives of both students and teachers.”

Community involvement is also a n important priority for McMillan as she participates in Alpha Delta Kappa, Beta Upsilon Chapter, an international honor society, Central Baldwin Education Foundation, National Education Association and Alabama Education Association.

Also near and dear to her heart is the American Cancer Society’s “Relay for Life” held each year. “My cousin lost her battle with bone cancer at age 21 and in recent years, my grandfather, brother-in-law, father and father-in-law all lost their lives."

The American Red Cross also gets her support and donation because of help they provided for her family members when their house got flooded. “Giving back to this organization is something in which I feel very strongly.”

McMilllan and her husband, Billy, Jr., have two daughters and four grandchildren and live in Bay Minette. They are very active in First Baptist Church, Bay Minette and contribute to the mission projects there and active in Sunday School as well.