
Alachua County’s Teacher of the Year, chosen out of three finalists, will be announced this Thursday at the annual celebration hosted by The Education Foundation for Alachua County Public Schools, sponsored by Cox Communications, Florida Credit Union, SWI Photographers and other businesses, organizations and individuals.
“We are grateful to our community partners who help make this such a memorable event,” Tia Brock-Paul, executive director of The Education Foundation, said in a press release. “Teachers are the heart of our schools and the foundation of our community’s future. We look forward to showing them our appreciation for their dedication and passion to make a difference every day in the lives of our students.”
There are three finalists for the 2024-25 Teacher of the Year, from elementary, middle and high school categories. Vanessa Lind is a second-grade teacher at Glen Springs Elementary School, Natalie Watkins is a seventh-grade math teacher at Ft. Clarke Middle School and Monica Benson is a special education teacher at the Sidney Lanier Center.
Lind, the elementary finalist, has been teaching at Glen Springs since 2022, but her career as an elementary school educator has lasted for over 25 years, including nearly three years at an elementary school in Durban, South Africa and seven years as a school administrator.
“I believe that genuine connections encourage students to take risks and engage deeply with their learning,” Lind said in the release. “By getting to know my students personally and understanding their strengths, challenges and aspirations, I can tailor my approach to support their growth effectively.”
The middle school finalist, Watkins, has taught math and science at ACPS since 2016, and also served as a paraprofessional and long-term substitute for five years. Before that, she had a career in the insurance and finance industry, but said the corporate world didn’t give her a sense of personal satisfaction.
“It was only when I returned to the classroom as a paraprofessional that I realized I was finally in a place that ‘filled my cup,’ Watkins said in the release. “Today I can truly say that the daily adventures with my students fulfill me and allow a deep-rooted part of me to know I’m where I should be, doing what I am meant to do.”
Benson, the high school finalist, has been teaching special needs students at Sidney Lanier since 2016, including those with significant emotional and behavioral disorders.
Before Lanier, Benson worked at both a childcare program and a local business serving special needs children. She said she knows first-hand what it was like to be a struggling student, and attributes her success to teachers who believed in her and inspired her to persevere.
“As an educator, I promised myself I would always be attentive and caring towards my students,” she said. “My students are better able to learn knowing that I am there for them, I am willing to listen, and I support their individual needs.”
The three finalists will be honored along with 37 other honorees from each of the district’s schools at Thursday’s Robert W. Hughes Teacher of the Year ceremony. The program is named for the former Superintendent of Schools who established it and will be in attendance.
The finalist chosen as the districtwide Teacher of the Year will go on to represent ACPS in the statewide teacher recognition program.
“I am thrilled to attend my first Alachua County Teacher of the Year program,” said Superintendent Kamela Patton, who took over as interim superintendent in November, in a press release. “I have already had the privilege of meeting many exceptional teachers making a remarkable impact in our schools, and I look forward to celebrating even more of them at this event.”