CHATTANOOGA, TN (WDEF) – The best teachers are patient, authentic and genuinely care about creating a good learning environment for all their students. That certainly applies to Ali Redfoot. We spent some quality time in her Normal Park upper classroom for this week’s Golden Apple Award.
“On behalf of Food City and News Channel 12, we would like to present you with the
Golden Apple Teachers Award for this week! Thank you. Thank you. And I would like to present you with this gift certificate from Food City. Wait, it’s a picture.”
“Ms. Redfoot is a great selection for Teacher of the week. She cares deeply about her students. She’s always wanting to grow and do her very best. She communicates well with parents. She has a great vision for how to incorporate social studies and language arts and rally the community around us. And so she’s a great selection,” said Jamelie Johns, the principal at Normal Park Museum Magnet Upper School.
“Make sure you are like Jude, you have your eyes on me. You have your voices off. I know I have Haley and Josie’s attention, okay.”
“I am from Auburn Alabama. And I am married to my college sweetheart. We have three daughters who all go to Normal Park, which is also where I teach,” said Ali Redfoot, a 4th Grade English & Language Arts teacher at Normal Park Museum Magnet Upper School.
“I’d like to go back to the pages we read earlier. And the questions that you answered.”
“I’ve been here teaching fourth grade for 10 years now. And I absolutely love it. It’s my favorite thing. I love reading, I love writing, I love getting to work with kids to make them better readers and writers. And I absolutely love social studies,” said Redfoot.
“The best, best, best poem ever. I am sorry I took the book home without asking.”
“She’s always a lot like calmer. And when she teaches us, she’s really patient,” said Caroline Obrien, a 4th Grader at Normal Park Museum Magnet Upper.
“I like how she’s really nice to us. And she’s really calm when she teaches us. And she’s like, and she’s not that strict,” said Campbell Brewer, a 4th Grader at Normal Park Museum Magnet Upper.
“She lets the people who have trouble sitting down, stand up while we’re working. And she lets us sit on the couch back there in the calm down corner if one of us has had a rough day at home,” said Ford Stephens, a 4th Grade at Normal Park Museum Magnet Upper.
“She’s really patient with us. And she helps us learn by talking with us. And helps us read back at the story,” said Lennon Draper, a 4th Grader at Normal Park Museum Magnet Upper.
“I love building strong relationships with students and parents. Especially now that my children are at school here as well. I’m getting to see parents as, you know, parents of friends of my children, as well as parents of my students. And so I really like to have that sense of community and family that I have here at Normal Park,” said Redfoot.
“Have you always wanted to be a teacher?” asked News 12’s Chief Photographer, David Moore.
“I have. I’m sure my mom could tell you I had a little easel. I would teach my dolls when I was a little girl. I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. I’ve always wanted to work with kids. And I just feel like that’s where my talents and my passion lie. Knowing that somebody cares about you even as you’re an adult is really what helps you to continue to believe in yourself. And I try to give that to my students as well. I hope all my students know that I love them. I will always love them. And I will always believe in them. That they can be whoever they want to be and they’ll do wonderful things,” said Redfoot.
