LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Adrian Wilkins was nominated by a parent of a student, Karen Syron.

Mrs. Wilkins leads her classroom with her heart and enthusiasm to lift up her students and propel them into academic success. She had previously taught for a neighboring town's district and has taken time off with young children of her own. Two days before the start of the 2020-2021 school year, Mrs. Wilkins stepped up to fill a vacant kindergarten position at Clearwater Valley Elementary School.

Mrs. Wilkins came into a new school and a new classroom, with a very low-scoring academic group of incoming Kindergartners. She literally put her own blood, sweat, and tears into preparing her new classroom. On the first day, it looked like it had been established for years. She brought in her old classroom supplies and invested a substantial amount of her own time and money to make her room a dynamic, nurturing, and safe place to learn for all of her students.  She could have set up her room with the materials that were left in the school for her, but good enough is not her standard.

Mrs. Wilkins customized learning plans from week one to suit every student's academic needs, from special education to academically advanced. Many students were not pre-registered, so she had no assessments and was learning about each of them as she taught.

"I volunteered to help in the classroom since my daughter was in her class. I was beyond impressed from the start with her ability to interact with each student and adapt her one-on-one time with them to suit their academic needs and learning style," said Syron. "Beyond being skilled as a teacher in her curriculum and instruction, it is her vigor that stood out to me last year. When working with students with behavioral issues, she never appears frustrated or irritated, but rather thrilled to be working with each student. Mrs. Wilkins radiated positivity and a can-do attitude with her students. Every day, she is smiling and interacting with every student from start to finish. I genuinely believe that each of her students academically, socially, and emotionally advances every single day they are with her. Her students are supported, challenged, and encouraged.  At the close of the year, my daughter had gone from knowing the alphabet but not all letter sounds, to reading fluidly at a first grade level and doing double digit addition and subtraction."

Mrs. Wilkins inspires students through fun physical learning games, including the new parachute she bought for class, the number recognition plastic Easter egg hunt, fruit loop cereal math necklaces, and growing plant seeds for science. She exceeds what a good teacher does by aiming and achieving for exceptional teaching every day. She stepped up for these kids, who were without a teacher just two days before school started. Mrs. Wilkins could have left as the district had other teachers apply for the position, but she became invested in this classroom and this school. She applied to keep this position for next year because she loves her school, community, and kids. She sees the importance of Kindergarten and is dedicated to providing a launchpad to academic and life success for her young students. 

"I nominate Mrs. Wilkins because she took a hard situation, one that nobody else wanted to take on, and she never used that situation as an excuse," Syron said. "I knew it, as did the parents and other school staff. She ran her classroom with no excuses.  I have never heard her acknowledge the difficult situation she came into, and I respect her so much for that. She chose to take on the job that nobody else wanted and succeeded like she had been in that room for years."

Mrs. Wilkins often hosted the indoor recess on rainy days, dancing and singing with the kids and organizing hands-on learning activities, all while knowing she would have more mess to clean up. She naturally serves as a cheerleader for fellow faculty and staff, walking down the hall with a big smile and something to make them laugh. She is a bright light that came in on a tough year when her school needed that extra boost. Any one of her colleagues would confirm the joy that she brings to the halls daily.