Marcie Penland is a resident of the city of Greenville and a fifth grade math teacher at Bowie Elementary. A true believer in Greenville ISD, Penland has taught in the district for 20 years and has put her own child through the district. “I have always thought he received a very good education here, and that many opportunities were made available to him and all students in this district,” she says.

“I love my subject matter. I enjoy trying to make [math] as meaningful and as creative as possible for my students,” says Penland. Many people consider math to be straight forward and repetitive, but Penland takes a different approach to instilling mathematical concepts in her students. “I love to write projects for them that reinforce our math concepts.  It’s much more interesting to teach that way, and I think more effective and interesting for them to learn.”

Penland not only places an emphasis on blending creativity and math, but also on showing her students that she is their number one support system in the classroom. “I have always thought I had great relationships with my kids.  They teach me as much as I teach them,” she continued, saying that she and her colleagues at Bowie Elementary “work extremely hard together, and our individual strengths complement each other and make what we bring to our students so much stronger.”

Bowie Principal, Dale Mason, said that this past weekend, prior to STAAR testing, Penland, along with Andrea Griffith and Amy Royall, held a STAAR camp review session in her room for any students interested. After the review, the students had an ice cream sundae party. “Mrs. Penland finds the best in her students and then fosters that to fruition,” says Mason.

“My kids trust me to help them be the best math students they can be, and I take that responsibility very seriously.  Teaching, though, is so much more than just showing kids how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide.  It means showing kids how much we care for them and giving them a sense of hope and confidence,” says Penland.

Penland attributes her long-lived career to the rewarding nature of her job. “I find everything about what I do to be inspiring and motivating.  I think teaching is the most important, rewarding job in the world.  I couldn’t have done it for as long as I have if I hadn’t felt that way,” she says.

Overall, Penland believes that being able to motivate, inspire and nurture her students is a gift. She strives to use that gift to show her students what hard work and teamwork looks like with help from her fellow teachers. “I’ve always tried my best to do that, and I feel like I have been very blessed by so many others along the way.”