It’s safe to assume most baby opossums* die without their mothers. But, when Petey’s mother and siblings were killed on the side of the highway, a young Mrs. Vernon intervened. Despite her mother’s initial concern about the undomesticated animal, Mrs. Vernon kept and cared for Petey his entire life. And, as a model student, it was likely saving a wild animal was the most trouble she gave her parents. When she was in school, Mrs. Vernon was incredibly organized, intelligent, and involved (in everything but sports) and always knew she wanted to be a teacher. Although, she did study to be a psychologist in college until she devastatingly ran out of required english classes to take and realized she couldn’t happily be anything but an english teacher. And, it’s a good thing she did because it is clear the dedication and passion she possessed as a student transferred to her work as a teacher.
Currently, Mrs. Vernon teaches Dual Enrollment English. She enjoys the subject because she can prepare her students for college. She wants to make sure her students not only stay in college, but thrive in college. Mrs. Vernon understands the key role language plays in success, so she works to teach her students ways to express themselves and communicate clearly. If her students only remember one thing from her class, Mrs. Vernon hopes it is the ability to manage their time and to have confidence in their communication skills.
While she’s devoted to Dual Enrollment English, the work she does for the school extends way beyond the classroom. For example, Mrs. Vernon is one of the teachers in charge of our school’s chapter of National Honor Society (NHS). With more than three hundred students involved in the organization, it requires serious care and attention to make sure everything is going smoothly. But, despite the demands of NHS, Mrs. Vernon found the time to help the school in another way: the Gardening Club. Established just this year, the Gardening Club encourages students to learn how to grow their own foods. Mrs. Vernon is an avid gardener herself. She loves working with the club and is happy to introduce students to gardening because she recognizes what a great stress relief it can be.
Additionally, the Gardening Club partners with the Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church so the food grown by the club is given to the church’s food pantry where it is made available for those in the community who need it. Impressively, Mrs. Vernon manages the work these activities require of her gracefully and says she loves them so much they don't even “really feel like work.”
Finally, if there was a war between the different departments at school, Mrs. Vernon is confident in the English department’s ability to win. Believing everyone in the department has a variety of different skills and can work well together, Mrs. Vernon claims the other departments would not stand a chance. After all, as she references English author Edward Bulwer- Lytton, “the pen is mightier than the sword.” If you want Mrs. Vernon to further substantiate this claim (or just want to learn more about her pet opossum) come visit her in room C112! Go rebs!
*Fun Fact! Opossums and possums are technically two different animals although they both look quite similar. But, opossums (pronounced with a silent O) are found in North and South America while possums live in Australia and other countries.
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