Students Provide ‘Saving Grace’ for Teacher

Joshua Knox dashes up to Anita Morris, his first grade teacher at , after she told him and her other students they would be taking a later lunch but would get more recess time as a result.

Joshua dramatically kisses Morris’ hand before returning to his desk, making her blush and laugh but also prompting her to remind him not to do that again. The class giggles.

Morris exudes confidence, care and passion for her students and profession. As a 15-year educator, she has taught kindergarten all the way to fifth grade.

In August, she’ll return to teaching kindergartners after being asked by Lithia Springs Principal William Marchant whether she would be willing to switch back to the grade.

Providing Healing

Morris was awarded Douglas County School System’s 2010-11 Elementary Teacher of the Year award. “I can be blasé about that because I lost my husband and I’m a survivor."

She continues: "My husband was my biggest fan. When I sold (our crane) company, he was saying, ‘Go baby, go do your thing,’ because he was supportive of me being a teacher.”

In April 2006, 47-year-old Jesse Morris Sr. was climbing a 600-foot tower crane during the construction of the 60-story Marina Blue condominium in Miami, FL when the climbing unit he was on came out of gear and crashed. Morris died after falling 48 stories.

His son, Jesse Jr., who was 19, fell more than 24 stories. But his safety harness snagged a piece of the corner of the platform, stopping his fall and leaving him dangling 36 stories above Biscayne Boulevard.

After being coached back onto the building by co-workers, Jesse Jr. climbed down quickly to see his father. Jesse Jr. then called his mother to tell her the tragic news.

Anita Morris says her son was so despondent over his father’s death that EMT workers and others had to force him to hang up the phone and get into an ambulance.

“He calls me and says, ‘Dad’s gone,’” Anita Morris remembers. “‘What do you mean? You mean he went to the store?’ ‘No, Mom. He’s gone.’”

This Easter weekend marks the five-year anniversary of the tragic accident. Jessie Jr., now 25, who stayed in the hospital for three days, survived the accident but now has a bad back after landing on the tower grading.

The first job he returned to after recovering was the Marina Blue condominium construction in Miami.

After the accident, Anita Morris quit teaching after 12 years in the Carroll County School District to run the family crane business, J & J Rigging & Erecting Inc. But she sold the company after three years and returned to teaching—this time for Douglas County School System, where she began her career as a substitute teacher—in 2008.

“I was tired of being in the business world,” Morris says. “I wasn’t happy and didn’t feel like I was accomplishing anything. I leave here every day knowing I made a difference. All (the students) need is someone to believe in them. If I don’t, who will?”

Returning to teaching has helped Morris to deal with the loss of her husband. The couple wed when she was 18, had been married for 28 years at the time of his death, and also had a daughter. Her name is Jessica, and she is now 27.

“They’ve been my saving grace,” Morris says of her students. “They filled that void. It’s changed me. I’ve gone from regretting everything I lost to appreciating the blessing I have. And that wasn’t easy and didn’t come overnight.”

Morris remembers struggling with depression following the crane accident.

“There were times I didn’t think I’d make it or want to get out of bed,” she says. “But I didn’t have a choice. What’s the alternative? I’m not a quitter, plus I have my children. I’m also blessed with a lot of family and friends. I’m a very blessed woman.”

'Natural Born Teacher'

Marchant says Lithia Springs Elementary is blessed to have Morris. With reading recovery as her specialty, Morris has a tireless work ethic, a passion for teaching and leadership skills, the principal adds.

“I give her the more challenging students—the ones that have more academic challenges,” Marchant says. “She’s just a natural born teacher. She just knows what to do with those students that need a push.”

Marchant says 100 percent of Lewis’ first grade students passed the math portion of the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) in the 2009-10 school year and 90 percent passed the test’s reading section.

“And those were the most academically behind students in first grade,” Marchant explains. “If I had to sum her up, she’d be kind and caring, while firm, fair and consistent. She’s amazing.”

Besides connecting with students, Morris also likes to mentor some of the school’s newest teachers, as well as student teachers from Georgia State University.

“Being a mentor helps me because it makes me stop and think, 'Why do I do what I do?'” Morris says. “If I can make someone stay in education and be a good educator, it’s rewarding. We need more educators that want to be here.”

Morris joined the teaching profession later than many of her peers. She was 32 years old when she went back to school, and she graduates with a 3.8 GPA from the University of West Georgia in Carrollton.

“My kids are my shining stars because they make me look good,” says Morris, who will turn 50 in August. “In the last few years, they’ve been my saving grace … This is my calling. I couldn’t imagine not teaching. If I described myself, I’d be a mother and teacher.”

Arriving often an hour early for work at 6:45 a.m. and leaving almost three hours after she could depart at 6 p.m., Morris says she leaves school some days “exhausted, frustrated and exhilarated.”

“The frustration comes from not being able to reach a child every day,” Morris says. “I wear many hats throughout the day. I’m a teacher, a nurse, a counselor, a referee and sometimes a comedian because I have to laugh."

Her students might think she's "nuts," she says, "but as an educator, you have to make it fun, especially this age.”

Morris’ students say they appreciate the fun she has.

“She’s great,” says Anthony Rubio, 7. “When we do centers, she lets us play a frog game.”

Student Molly Dutton adds: “We like to do math with her. She makes it fun.”

Not one to seek attention, Morris says her success and the district’s Elementary Teacher of the Year award are a result of the people around her, including Marchant.

“I’m a reflection of my school,” she says. “It’s a humbling honor, but one I accept on behalf of my faculty and administrators. I never would’ve thought I’d win. But, it’s not just about me."

"I don’t walk around saying, ‘I’m Teacher of the Year’ and tooting my own horn," she continues. "When I came to Lithia, it felt like I came home.”