Sharon School Speech-Language Pathologist Caitlin Tucker was announced as the 2025 West Grand Division Teacher of the Year.
Ms. Tucker has served Weakley County Schools for almost a decade across all grade levels, with a specialty in augmentative and alternative communication, creating the opportunity for even non-speaking students.
Her approach has had ripple effects across Sharon School. In 2023, she spearheaded a school-wide initiative called “Regulation before Expectation,” designed to help students be ready to engage in learning by meeting their sensory needs first.
If students, struggle to focus as they begin to feel restless, anxious, or overwhelmed, Caitlin gives them a moment to move, stretch, or use a sensory tool, to help them settle in so they can fully participate in class.
Thanks to her practices, discipline incidents have dropped 60 percent and reading proficiency scores for grades 3–8 have also been progressing since implementing her practices.
Ms. Tucker now prepares to represent West Tennessee educators on the Commissioner’s Teacher Advisory Council.
