Falling Creek elementary teacher Sonia Winnegan is over the moon and honored to be representing the school as Teacher of the Year. Winnegan has been teaching for seven years, spending five years at Falling Creek and two at G.H. Reid elementary.
She has a bachelor’s in interdisciplinary studies with a concentration in elementary education from VCU, andshe attended the University of Richmond for her teaching credentials.
Winnegan got the spark for teaching when she was in elementary school and she used to play teacher to her younger sister, who then learned how to speak English by the time she started school. She also credited her sixth-grade teacher for going above and beyond for her students and for being who she wanted to be like when she grew up.
“I started as a Sunday school assistant teacher at my church that year [and]I worked with five- and six-year olds until I left for college in 2005,” Winnegan said. “That experience showed me I had a passion for teaching children of that age group, [and]from then on, I knew I wanted to be a kindergarten teacher.”
Winnegan gets to witness many firsts as her pupils explore, discover and master new academic and social skills. Her students cheer each other on when learning new concepts, and they celebrate each other’s accomplishments. The teacher noted their compassion toward each other.
“I love the bond that I create with my students and their families, I love seeing the excitement in their faces when they master a new concept,” Winnegan said, “or they do something they thought they could not do, and the leaps and bonds they make from the beginning of the year to the end of the year; it is simply amazing.”
Despite the pandemic, Winnegan said she is just as excited and as much looking forward to meeting new teachers as she is every year. Although teaching will be different, her goal is to form strong bonds with her pupils, instill in them a love of learning, and help them achieve their academic goals.
Winnegan recently welcomed a child, and she has been using this time to get adjusted to a larger family of four. She said her family has also been able to spend more time together and build new memories.
Winnegan said she strives to do her best for her pupils and their families.
“A few of my goals as a teacher are to build a strong foundation for all my students so that they may be successful, to build a strong sense of community with my students and their families,” Winnegan said, “[to]create a fun learning environment that challenges my students to learn, and to keep growing as an educator in order to provide my students with the best that I can possibly offer.”
