September Educator of the Month

Superintendent, Dr. Debbie Howell, is thrilled to kick off the 2019-20 school year by announcing that Mrs. Valerie Benjamin has been selected as September’s “Educator of the Month”. Mrs. Benjamin is currently a kindergarten teacher at Brookville Elementary School.

As a student, Mrs. Benjamin attended Mt. Carmel School and Franklin County High School. After graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from Franklin College, Mrs. Benjamin retu

rned to her alma mater and began teaching special education at Mt. Carmel School. Now in her 19th year at Franklin County, Mrs. Benjamin has taught at Mt. Carmel and Brookville Elementary Schools, teaching special education, first grade and kindergarten. In addition to her teaching duties, Mrs. Benjamin has coached 7th and 8th grade volleyball, JV softball, and 5th and 6th grade cheerleading.

Mrs. Benjamin was nominated for this honor by a parent of a student she taught last year. The parent wrote about Mrs. Benjamin’s nurturing demeanor and her “general love for the kids”. She is “a perfect preparer of kids for their long career in school.” The parent also recognized that “kindergarten teachers are some of our most important teachers.”

When not at Brookville Elementary School, Mrs. Benjamin enjoys spending time with her husband (a school resource officer for Batesville Community Schools) and her children. This last spring she helped coach her son’s baseball team. During the summer months, the family enjoys spending time boating on Brookville Lake.

When asked what she loves most about her job, Mrs. Benjamin responded, “I feel very blessed to be a teacher in the same corporation I attended as a student. The best part of my job is helping my students reach their academic potential. It is so rewarding to see the progress my students achieve over the course of a year.”

The purpose of the “Educator of the Month” program is to recognize outstanding Franklin County educators who demonstrate excellence in the classroom, leadership in the school, dedication to the students, and involvement in the community. Nomination forms for “Educator of the Month” can be found on the school corporation website at www.fccsc.k12.in.us.