Kelly McIntosh

Position: Special Education TeacherSchool: Germantown High SchoolSchool District: Madison County School DistrictCity, State: Madison, Mississippi
About the Nominee: Kelly McIntosh was nominated by a colleague, Summer Nation.Kelly McIntosh, also known as "Mrs. Mac" (as the students call her), is an amazing educator, facilitator and person. For those who have never met her, she is the one that can light up a room with her smile. She teaches special needs classes at Germantown High School, and her classroom is located next door to her colleague, Summer Nation. Ms. Nation states that she is well aware of the challenges Mrs. Mac faces every day, and that they are well beyond what regular classroom teachers face. Mrs. Mac tackles these challenges with compassion, patience, and love. She creates an atmosphere that the students look forward to being in. She gives her students opportunities and experiences that other teachers might avoid because of the amount of energy and extra work involved. What makes Mrs. Mac shine brightly, however, is that she not only does these things for her students during school hours, but after school and during the summer as well. She is constantly thinking about how she can improve her instruction to suit the needs of each student's individual ability and personality.Mrs. Mac does not expect awards, honorable mentions or accolades. She seldom gets to attend most events and doesn't know if the schedule is running on an A-day or B-day. She always knows what the cafeteria is serving for lunch, however, because some of her students have dietary restrictions or really love mac 'n' cheese. Mrs. Mac always knows what the weather will be like so that her students can go outside and observe animals in nature. She attends art classes with her students so she can ensure they are able to participate in all activities, and she always knows if the gym is available for her students to do some yoga and stretching. It is hard to sum up all the reasons why Mrs. Mac is such an amazing LifeChanger. It is easy for those who teach "regular" classes to overlook how awesome she is. Ms. Nation says she sees Mrs. Mac doing something awesome every day and appreciates everything she does for her students![nominee_videos nominee_email="kmcintosh@madison-schools.com"]