Natalie Garrison is a first year teacher at Donelson Elementary. “I am so thankful to be here at Donelson!” She student taught in a kindergarten class last year at Arlington Elementary, but this is her first year to have her own class. “This has always been my dream job!”, says Ms. Garrison. Ms. Garrison grew up in Collierville, Tennessee and graduated from The University of Memphis in the summer of 2020. She has always wanted to be a teacher. “I never actually liked going to school because I never had fun. I wanted to be a teacher so I could make learning fun for kids!” She says, “I love being in kindergarten because the students are excited to walk into your room everyday and are excited to learn. They think everything is amazing and are my biggest fans.” She tells her students,

“Do your best everyday. Everyone’s best is different and that’s okay. As long as you’re trying your hardest, that’s all I can ask for.”

Even during the craziness of this year, Ms. Garrison hopes to create fun memories. In her classroom, she and her students have a fun memory jar that is filling up despite the changes in their classroom. Ms. Garrison’s advice to other new teachers would be, “ Give it your all everyday! Your best may not be the same everyday but as long as you try, your students will know and they will love you!” Ms. Garrison says that the quote that gets her through everyday is “We all need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and imperfections.”- John Lennon.