Judy Anderson with her first grade students in their Port O’Connor school classroom.
When, on the evening of February 13, Doyle Adams announced the Sweetheart Banquet’s Citizen of the Year, it came as a great surprise to worthy recipient, Judy Anderson. Citing her many years of initiative, enthusiasm, and dedication to teaching the children of Port O’Connor, Doyle proudly presented Judy the Citizen of the Year plaque on behalf of Port O’Connor’s First Baptist Church.
One of the first in the audience to congratulate her was Naomi Albrecht, who hired Judy 36 years ago, Mrs. Albrecht’s final hire before retiring as Principal of Port O’Connor School.
Judy was the school’s kindergarten teacher for 19 years and has spent the past 17 years teaching first grade. “I love teaching, and I love Port O’Connor School,” said Judy. “Our little school is the heart of Port O’Connor and I am blessed to be a part of it.”
Judy is proud to say she is the daughter of a teacher and the mother of a teacher. Son, Collin, is a teacher at Seadrift School. Judy’s mother, Elizabeth Mutchler, was Head Librarian and English Teacher at Calhoun High School. It was because of her mother that Judy met her (future) husband, Henry Anderson. Henry, two years ahead of Judy in school, was in Mrs. Mutchler’s class. Although Henry refused to read “Huckleberry Finn”, his teacher somehow allowed him to meet and court her daughter.
Previously from Port Lavaca, Judy has been a resident of Port O’Connor since marrying Henry almost 40 years ago. In addition to Collin, they have a son, Tyler, who is a Senior at UT (Judy’s alma mater).
The key to teaching, says Judy, is finding different ways to get kids excited about learning. She is a self-proclaimed “blog stalker”, meaning she follows a number of educational blogs, always looking for new and exciting ways of teaching. She also attempts to be “tech savvy”, using smart boards and Ipads. Judy plans to attend a convention in Las Vegas this summer where she can meet some of the bloggers she’s been following, with the expectation of learning new ways of teaching reading and math, and learning new technology.
A tour of Judy’s first grade classroom will show just how involved and enthusiast the children are about learning. Hanging everywhere are samples of their writing and artwork and reminders of basic lessons needed to be proficient in their work. Looking at their compositions, penmanship and artwork, one would never imagine these were the efforts of first graders, they seem so advanced.
Judy says she plans to keep teaching for ten more years. With her fresh, enthusiastic approach to teaching, she will surely continue instilling a love of learning in her students. Thank you, Judy!
