GROVETOWN, Ga () Keila Tucker is an 8th grade learning specialist. She makes sure her students are able to grasp each lesson.

“It seems as if it’s my calling,” Tucker says. “It’s my purpose in life. To inspire, to teach students.”

And what a feeling when she gets to see all the hard work pay off.

“That’s the joy. That’s the joy. That’s the end product.
When it comes to planning, when it comes to considering the strengths and weaknesses, that’s just the end product. And that’s what we work toward every day.”

Mrs. Tucker will tell you, it takes a village to make sure each student has what they need to succeed.

“It’s embedded in our curriculum. It’s embedded in our culture. We have to collaborate. We collaborate weekly, and sometimes daily, for the benefit of our students’ education, for the benefit of student growth and achievement.”

And as this new school year continues, these bright young people know they’re right where they’re supposed to be.

“Students need us,” she says. “They need to be in a place, a safe place, a safe place that’s a refuge for many of them. A safe place of persons who care for not only their education, but the whole person.”