HASLETT, Mich. — Each week, the Michigan Lottery and FOX 47 News partner together for the Excellence in Education Award. This week's winner is Haslett High School's interventionist, Stephanie Livingston.
“When you go into education, I don't think anyone does it because they think they're going to get a pat on the back," Livingston said. "You go into it because you care about kids because you want to do something important to change the world in your own little way.”
Livingston has been teaching in the Haslett Public Schools since she graduated from Michigan State University. This is her 24th year with the district.
“I've had a variety of roles here," Livingston said. "I taught English 10, 11 and 12 over the course of my time here and then got really involved in school improvement and some of the behind the scenes things.”
A few years ago, she moved into a new role.
“I moved into this interventionist role a few years ago, that allows me to work with a variety of students across our school building,” Livingston said.
Livingston said every day her job is different. One day, she might be working with teachers and students.
“It might mean that I co-plan with a teacher to help them with engagement strategies or instructional strategies," Livingston said. "It might mean that I work one-on-one with some students who need a little extra support in a particular academic area.”
Some days, it's about supporting students in other ways.
“We work with students also to make sure that some of their basic needs are met so that they can be successful here at school, food, clothing, medical care if we can help," Livingston said. "We've had some students that have needed glasses that we helped with.”
Livingston said she loves what she does because every day is different.
“I never know how my days are going to go particularly," Livingston said. "I might have a plan, but life turns out to take me in different spaces. So I kind of like that flexibility and unpredictability of it.”
But it's working with students that makes every day worth it.
“I have a group of students that I meet with pretty regularly to help keep them on track for graduation. And I like getting to know them over the course of three or four years depending on how long I get to know them," Livingston said. “It's immensely gratifying to see them grow and change and come into themselves and start to feel confident about where they want to go in their future and that is incredibly rewarding to see how much they grow from freshman to senior to know what they want to do with their lives.”
Along with the Excellence in Education award, Livingston received a plaque, a $1,500 cash prize and a $500 grant to either her classroom, school or school district.
Congratulation Stephanie!
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