After a handful of heartfelt and handwritten letters from a 10-year-old student in the Pittsburgh Public School District, this month, we honored Miss Ashley Brady with the WTAE Teacher of the Month award during a visit to Arlington Elementary School. “I used to not like learning. When I started to be with her, I loved learning,” fifth grader Noel Shaw said. In part of the nomination letter, Shaw told us Miss Brady helps a lot of students with their needs, prioritizing not only their education, but also their well-being outside of the classroom. ” helps us with our needs, like making sure we get our work done, and have something to eat,” Shaw said. “She also makes sure we have enough sleep. My teacher also cooks us meals and brings me shoes that I can wear. Miss Brady is the reason I’m getting A’s on my report card, and I love to learn.” He continued, saying, “Sometimes I don’t eat at home. So when I come to school, I have something to eat, and I can rely on Miss Brady for some stuff.”Brady told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 she wants to be able to help students be the best they can be, saying she wants them to have a safe space inside the classroom. “A lot of our students, and students everywhere, bring a lot of things with them from home that we necessarily don’t get to see or get the insight into,” Brady said. “So, when they come in and share those things with me, I know that I’m a safe place and a safe person for them. And I would do anything to help any student, whether it’s here or at a different school, or somebody I just met on the street.””She deserves it 100%. She is such a loving, kind-hearted person,” said fellow teacher Lisa Bruckman. The school’s principal said, “Noel was in a totally different space before being in Miss Brady’s room, and he struggled coming to school. Since he’s been working with Miss Brady, he loves school. You see how incredibly brilliant he is because he felt someone believed in him. And that’s the magic of Miss Brady. That magic of Miss Brady includes catchy and creative ways to connect with the kids through music. She also works to boost their confidence and financial literacy through a reward system and ‘Brady Bucks.'”Students then use credits from the reward system in their classroom store, where prizes include everything from toys and water bottles to food, warm gloves, and socks. For recieving the nomination for the WTAE Teacher of the Month for December, Closets by Design of Pittsburgh owner Pete Donina gave Miss Brady $1,000 to use on the educational website DonorsChoose.org.To learn more about WTAE Teacher of the Month or to submit a nomination, click here.

PITTSBURGH —

After a handful of heartfelt and handwritten letters from a 10-year-old student in the Pittsburgh Public School District, this month, we honored Miss Ashley Brady with the WTAE Teacher of the Month award during a visit to Arlington Elementary School.

“I used to not like learning. When I started to be with her, I loved learning,” fifth grader Noel Shaw said.

In part of the nomination letter, Shaw told us Miss Brady helps a lot of students with their needs, prioritizing not only their education, but also their well-being outside of the classroom.

“[She] helps us with our needs, like making sure we get our work done, and have something to eat,” Shaw said. “She also makes sure we have enough sleep. My teacher also cooks us meals and brings me shoes that I can wear. Miss Brady is the reason I’m getting A’s on my report card, and I love to learn.”

He continued, saying, “Sometimes I don’t eat at home. So when I come to school, I have something to eat, and I can rely on Miss Brady for some stuff.”

Brady told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 she wants to be able to help students be the best they can be, saying she wants them to have a safe space inside the classroom.

“A lot of our students, and students everywhere, bring a lot of things with them from home that we necessarily don’t get to see or get the insight into,” Brady said. “So, when they come in and share those things with me, I know that I’m a safe place and a safe person for them. And I would do anything to help any student, whether it’s here or at a different school, or somebody I just met on the street.”

“She deserves it 100%. She is such a loving, kind-hearted person,” said fellow teacher Lisa Bruckman.

The school’s principal said, “Noel was in a totally different space before being in Miss Brady’s room, and he struggled coming to school. Since he’s been working with Miss Brady, he loves school. You see how incredibly brilliant he is because he felt someone believed in him. And that’s the magic of Miss Brady. That magic of Miss Brady includes catchy and creative ways to connect with the kids through music. She also works to boost their confidence and financial literacy through a reward system and ‘Brady Bucks.'”

Students then use credits from the reward system in their classroom store, where prizes include everything from toys and water bottles to food, warm gloves, and socks.

For recieving the nomination for the WTAE Teacher of the Month for December, Closets by Design of Pittsburgh owner Pete Donina gave Miss Brady $1,000 to use on the educational website DonorsChoose.org.

To learn more about WTAE Teacher of the Month or to submit a nomination, click here.