Linda Sue (Welton)
Connors is recognized by her students at Lyndon B. Johnson Middle School,
Albuquerque.
LBJ Teacher Shows Students She Cares
By Debra Dominguez-Lund
Albuquerque Journal
LBJ Middle School student Emily Kennedy can
describe her teacher, Linda (Welton) Connors,
quite succinctly.
"She's
incredible," the 14-year-old eighth-grader said.
Kennedy credits Connors, a literature and
language arts teacher, with not only helping her excel academically
but with changing her life. "You see, last year I got in trouble
with my teachers," she said. "I got suspended near the end of the
school year and expelled right after that. "Ever since I came to
the eighth grade, Ms. Connors has showed me that she actually cares
about my well-being and my grades. She is a very nice person, and
she has showed me she cares about me."
Kennedy, who says she now has good grades and
is on the school's track team, isn't the only fan of Connors.
Others said she has taught them self-respect, self-control, and
self-reliance with inspirational messages she posts daily. Many
students also eagerly offered that Connors is successful because
she's knowledgeable, patient, caring, and most important, "she
listens."
The 65-year-old teacher, who has been an
educator for 38 years, said those are traits an educator needs,
especially in middle school.
"You have to obviously know your subject matter
well— that's a given," she said. "But I think really caring about
your students is just as important. My students know I run a tight
ship in my classroom, but they know I do it because I care." |