Shelley Sumner
Shelley Sumner is a math teacher at Vestavia Hills High School.
Q: What inspired you to become an educator?
A: I was inspired to become an educator through my family history of education. My father, mother, grandmother and sister were all educators. And I wanted to have the same impact that I saw they had on children's lives. I also saw the impact children had on their lives, and I wanted to have that same impact.
Q: How long have you been a teacher?
A: I have been in education for 32 years, and I have taught anywhere from eighth grade up through 12th grade mathematics.
Q: Tell us about your favorite teacher.
A: I would say my favorite teacher was also my hardest teacher, which was my math teacher when I was in ninth grade. Miss Morgan was the type of teacher that most students got worried about. If they had her, she was pretty strict. She was very straightforward, but you knew what she wanted from you. And I would say that is the type of teacher that I needed, that I thrived on.
Q: What’s the most rewarding part of teaching?
A: I would say the most rewarding part of being a teacher is that you get to experience the lives of hundreds of kids. You get to take on their individuality. You get to take on their personalities. You get to be a part of their growing up, and you can feel that each and every day that they come into your classroom. You can also make a great impact on who they're going to become.
