TAMPA, Fla. — Stacey Loesky has been teaching for almost 20 years. She’s been at Ferrell Girls Preparatory Academy Middle Magnet School since 2011. She is the AVID teacher. The course focuses on preparing students for high school, college and future careers.
“We do writing, we do a lot of inquiry, asking a bunch of questions, collaborating because it is important to learn to work together with people, being organized,” said Loesky.
Loesky says she is teaching her students skills they will always need, whether they plan to go to college, start working right away, or join the military.
“When you see that growth, you know they’re going to be so successful when they go to that next level in high school, and they leave us and we hope that they do well,” said Loesky.
Loesky says thinking about her eighth graders graduating is bittersweet.
“You grow attached to them and you form bonds,” said Loesky.
Three students nominated Loesky, whom the students call Miss Kay, to be featured as an A+ Teacher.
“You can tell she really loves being there for the students and she grows really good personal connections with all of her students,” said Lillian Scala.
Loesky says she thinks of her students like her own children.
“I love it and I wouldn’t change it. And I may never become a millionaire doing this, but the lives that I touch and have touched over the course of my career, [that] is so much more valuable to me than anything else,” said Loesky.