Decatur City Schools names teachers of the year

Feb. 10—Attending Frances Nungester Elementary inspired a young Nikki Eddy Duncan to enter the world of education, and after teaching at that same school for two decades, she on Friday was named Decatur City Schools' elementary teacher of the year.

Superintendent Michael Douglas, Deputy Superintendent of Instruction and Personnel Yvette Evans, and school board Vice President Doug Bacchus presented awards Friday to both Duncan and Austin Middle teacher Yanique Rolingson, the secondary teacher of the year.

"Not only is your teacher the Frances Nungester teacher of the year, but she is also the elementary teacher of the year for the whole district," Douglas told Duncan's kindergarten class.

Duncan attended Frances Nungester in the third and fourth grades and said she witnessed the compassion and encouragement shown by a teacher there, inspiring Duncan to prioritize the same traits in herself as a teacher.

"There was a special education teacher named Linda Calfee and she had a love for children like no other," Duncan said. "Her students knew how much she loved them and she believed in them and I wanted to be able to make that difference in someone's life."

After graduating from A.P. Brewer High School, Duncan went on to Athens State University where she obtained her undergraduate degree and earned her master's degree at Alabama A&M University. She got her first teaching job at Eva School as a kindergarten teacher, and after three years, taught at Chestnut Grove Elementary and Eastwood Elementary for a year apiece.

Married to husband Chris, she has been a pre-K and kindergarten teacher at Frances Nungester for the last 20 years and she said her joy of teaching children is still as fresh as the day she started.

"My favorite thing about teaching is the love my students have for me and the love I have for them," Duncan said. "Just being excited to go to school — I remember when I came to this school as a student, I was so excited to go here and be able to learn and I always want to instill that in my babies."

She said kindergarten is where students will usually read their first book, and she begins her reading instruction by having them write simple letters on a sheet of paper and pronounce how they sound. Then, they advance to writing sentences.

"At the end of the year, I have them write a story for me, and then when they leave for the summer, I compile them all in a scrapbook and give that to them," Duncan said. — Secondary teacher of the year

From being born in Kingston, Jamaica, and immigrating to New York to teaching in school districts in three states, Austin Middle's Rolingson has learned to impact many different students while adapting to various environments.

She was nominated for teacher of the year in 2021 and 2022, finally winning the honor this year.

Rolingson emigrated to New York at the age of 12 and later moved to New Jersey with her mother where she graduated from Irvington High School in Irvington. She said living in Irvington prepared her for her journey as an educator in Decatur schools.

"There is so much diversity here in Decatur," Rolingson said. "It was like that in Irvington, too. There were students of many different races and we had no middle class."

Rolingson teaches sixth grade English language arts and throughout her 18-year teaching career, she has taught at schools in Tennessee and New Jersey, and in Alabama at Birmingham City Schools and Decatur City Schools.

She said inspiring students and watching them succeed is what keeps her in the classroom year after year.

"When I first came here to the United States, I was made fun of, so I understand what it's like to have the pressure of being accepted," Rolingson said. "Coming to school every day and working with the students, I just love watching that lightbulb go off in their head when they figure something out."

Rolingson said after her first year teaching elementary school, comments from her mentor helped her realize it was her true calling.

"She told me that I was a natural at this and most teachers struggle with their first year," Rolingson said. "It doesn't come from me; it comes from God. I want to be a servant leader and help these students."

Before that, she worked as a substitute teacher and said she made sure she was engaging with and teaching the students rather than just babysitting them.

"(Substitutes) just wanted to go by the books and I'm like, 'Open the books,'" Rolingson said. "Make sure they are learning."

Rolingson obtained her undergraduate degree from Bloomfield College of Montclair State University in New Jersey and her master's degree from Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville. She is currently working toward her Ph.D. at Trevecca Nazarene University and will graduate in June.

She is married to Faran and they have three children.

— wes.tomlinson@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2442.