Teacher Appreciation Week: Joy Sawyer "Motivated" By Students

ALTON - Joy Sawyer didn’t always expect to become a teacher, but she has definitely found the right path for her.

Sawyer is a K–1 Special Education Instructional Class teacher at Lovejoy Elementary School in the Alton Community Unit School District #11. This Teacher Appreciation Week, she is grateful for the decisions and experiences that led her to this career so she can help students shine.

“Teachers are many things to a student, really, to a family,” Sawyer said. “It’s important to see the whole child, which includes the family and environment. What are the challenges they face at home? How can we help with these challenges? Compassion for parents is key when working with their children. We don’t always know what struggles they face, so it is not our place to judge. We meet the child where they are and work to help them grow and learn.”

Sawyer admits that she didn’t enjoy school as a child. She began her career working with adults with disabilities and “quickly found [her] passion” because she connected to each person she worked with.

She didn’t expect to end up in the classroom, but after a year of this work, Sawyer decided she wanted to use these skills to help children with disabilities. She was “motivated by their determination” and wanted to help them succeed.

Her career since then has been fulfilling, as she loves working with the kids. It can be difficult to manage the day-to-day paperwork and time away from students, but this is because she so enjoys working with kids. Anything that takes away from her time with the students is a stressor, but she does everything she can to support them however she can.

Outside of school, Sawyer enjoys gardening, completing stained glass projects, and reading in her hammock alongside her dog, Daisy, and her family. Though teaching is “not easy,” it is “highly rewarding.”

“The children give you hope, make you laugh, sometimes make you cry,” she added. “They are energetic and eager and excited. What fun is a job if you never get to laugh? We sing, dance, read books, and talk with each other. In kindergarten, we learn to share, to help, to be kind, to be a good friend. These are some of the most important things to learn in life. We work on how to regulate our emotions and finding ways to calm down. When a student completes a task they have been struggling with, you get to watch their smiles bloom and their pride shine!”

Thank you to Mrs. Sawyer for your work as a teacher!

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