Email address:  andrea.williams@gulfportschools.org

School Address: 1043 Pass Road, Gulfport, MS 39501

School Phone:  (228) 865-4642

I have lived on the MS Gulf Coast since 1988. I received a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from William Carey University and am currently back there working towards a Master of Education. I am certified to teach all subjects through Grade 6 and have endorsements for Language Arts, Science, and History through Grade 12. I am very happily married to a US Navy Seabee and have two children...a daughter attending college in Oxford, MS and a stepson attending school in the Gulfport School District.

Teaching is a profession for those who truly care about children and their futures. Since children are our future, it would be foolish to believe otherwise. Teachers have a responsibility not only to their students but to the community they serve as well. After all, the students we teach live in our communities, and we must return them there not only with an exceptional education but also with values we can all be proud of. It is so important to teach children through teacher modeling to be respectful, responsible, accountable, resourceful, and responsive. In addition to knowledge, I believe those too are important elements of success, and I believe they should carry over into every part of a person’s life.

Teachers should do whatever possible to get each and every child motivated to learn. Excellent teachers understand and believe that every child has the ability to learn something, that not every child learns the same way, and that not every child learns at the same pace. I believe teachers should have high expectations for all students and hold them to high standards while providing them with a safe and nurturing environment.  

Learning should be interesting, motivating, and fun. Cooperative learning is an important tool in a classroom because it teaches a child that an individual is as important to a group as a group is to an individual. It teaches the importance of tolerance and teamwork. I strongly believe in a curriculum that is reading intensive. Reading encourages children to be imaginative and creative…something that seems to have gotten lost as a result of the technology age. If we are successful at instilling a desire in children to read regularly, we will create life-long learners. An excellent education reaches far beyond a textbook.  

Excellent teachers are well organized, have exceptional classroom management skills, and have an extensive knowledge of the subject area they are teaching. The three combined create a productive learning environment and save valuable instruction time.  

My mission as a teacher is to do everything possible to leave no child behind. It is my desire to prepare children for a future of successes through the realization by them that knowledge is power. Through teacher modeling I hope that I will inspire children to take an active part in their community, be respectful, responsive, accountable, resourceful, and responsible, while being a caring, reflective decision maker.