Breeding earns rank of National Board Certified Teacher
“I wasn’t invested in my education,” Breeding said. “My senior English teacher never knew it, but she planted a seed in me.”
- Tonya Breeding
After graduating from Brewer High School, she worked in retail but was paid poorly and didn’t see herself growing. Her boyfriend, now husband, was in college and encouraged her to begin general studies.
Thanks to that English class, literature interested her and led to a bachelor’s degree in language arts education at Athens State University. Breeding then earned a master’s degree in school counseling at the University of North Alabama.
Her career started at East Limestone High School in ninth-grade language arts and drama. She then worked as a counselor at Cedar Ridge Middle School in Decatur. “I missed the traditional classroom setting and returned to the classroom here in Madison,” Breeding said.
She teaches language arts at Discovery Middle School.
“It sounds cliché but kids are all special in their own ways — some for humor, some for intelligence, some for the challenges that they impose,” Breeding said. “As in other professions, we have our ups and downs at work, but we’re fortunate to have the optimism of young people in our lives every day.”
She believes every Discovery student can “fit in” and enjoy the top-notch curriculum, caring faculty and extracurricular activities.
“Discovery has a delightful mix of seasoned and new teachers,” she said. “This ratio energizes our faculty and keeps us on our toes. When I’m concerned about students or situations, I use my support team. I’m happy to have them.”
She acknowledged Discovery Principal Dr. Robbie Smith, office staff and teacher teams in striving to grow as educators. “We take our jobs seriously. It’s reflected in our students’ success.”
She credited other teachers in Madison City Schools as mentors while working for NBCT status.
“NBCT status is a worthy pursuit. I’m thrilled to have met my goal. I hope other teachers consider the journey,” Breeding said. “It’s a rigorous voluntary assessment and a reflective process.”
