2022 MS ACTE Teachers of the Year

Aimee Reams Selena Parker

Lamar County CTE Instructors Celebrated as MS ACTE Teachers of the Year

By Will Graves

Two Lamar County Center for Technical Education (LCCTE) instructors received high honors at last summer’s MS ACTE Conference in Biloxi.

LCCTE Teacher Academy instructor

Aimee Reams was named the MS ACTE Teacher of the Year; her colleague Selena Parker, LCCTE’s Engineering instructor, was recognized as the MS ACTE New Teacher of the Year award recipient.

Reams Shares Passion For Learning With The Next Generation

Most educators would likely agree that teaching is more than a profession — it is a way of life. As LCCTE’s Teacher Academy instructor, Reams has the unique opportunity to share her passion for learning and teaching with the next generation of educators.

Though a relative newcomer to the world of career and technical education (CTE), Reams has 20-plus years of experience in diverse teaching roles. LCCTE Director Suzanne Kelly said that expansive teaching experience made Reams a perfect fit to take the lead with the academy.

“She’s had a lot of great experiences throughout her career, which made her the best candidate for the Teacher Academy position,” Kelly said. “With a background teaching in public, private, charter and tribal schools — both large and small — she has been outstanding at connecting her students with career resources to prepare them to become educators.”

For Reams, joining LCCTE in 2019 came at the perfect time.

“After 24 years spent in elementary education, I knew I wanted to do something different, but I also knew I did not want to get out of the classroom,” Reams said. “I had no idea that the Teacher Academy even existed, and as soon as I heard about this class I knew that what I wanted to do was work with high school students, give them experiences and help see if we can inspire some future teachers.”

Reams advises LCCTE’s local Educators Rising chapter, the CTE student or- ganization for aspiring teachers. All of her students are members of the organization, which provides a range of leadership and career development events, competitions and community service opportunities.

Reams has been amazed by her students’ outstanding achievements in their Educators Rising competitive events. They have consistently placed at the state level, and last year, 11 students advanced to compete on the national stage in Orlando.

With service being a major component of Reams’ teaching philosophy, she helped get her Educators Rising students involved with area parent-teacher organizations and got them invited to serve as panelists at a statewide symposium discussing the teacher shortage in Mississippi. Overcoming the teacher shortage is a big motivator for

Reams, and seeing students get excited about education drives her to keep changing lives.

“Teachers make such an imprint on students,” she said. “You remember your great teachers and remember your bad teachers. If someone has the heart and drive to be a teacher, I look at what they can do for other students because teachers make such a difference. We need that influence if we want to touch other lives and inspire love, not hate in the world. To make a difference in our society you have to have good strong role models in the classroom.”

SELENA PARKER — MS ACTE NEW TEACHER OF THE YEAR

Though many educators likely begin their careers in the classroom after completing a traditional educator preparation program, some teachers enter the field of education after working in another field or industry. In CTE, having this real-world applied knowledge and field experience can help students make meaningful career connections.

Before joining the faculty at LCCTE in 2019, Parker was working in the engineering field when two teacher friends mentioned LCCTE was looking to fill an engineering teacher position that required an engineering degree.

Becoming a teacher was never in her plans professionally, but Parker said she felt led to pursue the opportunity to make a difference.

“It was all God pushing me along the way,” she said. “ I never had an inkling to ever become a teacher. I went to school, got my chemical engineering degree and was work- ing in a lab here in town when I heard about the opportunity. I started work the same day students started, and though it’s been a steep learning curve from the beginning, it’s been one of the most amazing experiences.”

As an engineer, Parker is no stranger to adaptation and innovation. Becoming a new teacher during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic had its challenges, but her industry experience helped her teach her students the importance of adaptability, a highly sought-after trait when looking for a career.

“I think it really helped being in industry,” Parker said. “I used the pandemic to explain how in industry when a major impactful event happens, you have to adapt because you want to keep your doors open and don’t want layoffs to happen to your employees. I got the students to think about things you can do to keep your business afloat and everyone safe. It’s all about showing them how we can keep the real world moving and working.”

The pandemic may have paused many CTE activities like student organization events, but Parker was ecstatic when her Technology Student Association (TSA) chapter competed and placed at the district and state levels last year, earning them the opportunity to compete nationally.

Outside of competitions, Parker and her students also work on many community outreach projects, such as designing and constructing projects at the different school campuses in the district. They also partner with Reams’ Educators Rising chapter and LCCTE’s HOSA chapter to host seasonal community service projects.

Kelly sees Parker’s impact on students and praises her for going above and beyond to develop good citizens with a heart for strengthening their community.

“One of (Parker’s) greatest contributions to LCCTE is having students complete the program prepared for college and career,” Kelly said. “She focuses on developing productive citizens who are aware of our community needs. She even had a former student come speak to her classes about how his engineering education translates into his job as a U.S. Marine.”

Parker will be the first to tell you she prefers to be “behind-the-scenes.” Still, after making an unexpected career shift right before a worldwide pandemic, she feels thankful for the opportunity to make a difference in her students’ lives and knows she is now doing exactly what she was meant to be doing.

“It is an absolute honor to receive this award. For me, it solidifies that I know I am right where God wants me, and I am doing everything I can to help these students,” Parker said.