Humes lands Discovery’s top teacher honor

MADISON – At work, Stacy Humes views herself more a facilitator versus teacher. She is Teacher of the Year at Discovery Middle School.

“I learn from my students. I match my objectives to an assignment and go from there. My students are really bright and typically go above and beyond my expectations, which I highly encourage and enjoy,” she said.

For 13 years, Humes has taught language arts at Discovery. Previously, she taught at Cedar Ridge Middle School in Decatur and for 10 years as adjunct writing instructor at Alabama A&M University.

Humes earned a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in secondary education from Alabama A&M. She became a National Board Certified Teacher in 2011. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, she came to Huntsville to attend college.

At Discovery, she chairs the eighth-grade and language arts departments, sponsors Diamond Dolls and Rubix Cube Club, participates with Challenge Success and mentors in English and NBCT study.

She doesn’t expect all students to earn As but does “expect all students to give it their best effort. I am a disciplinarian, but I also form meaningful relationships with my students. They all know how much I care for them. As one student recently stated, ‘You’re strict, but not to the point where anyone dislikes you.’” 

In her third year at Cedar Ridge, a student in her class became extremely sick and died two days later. Humes met the student’s mother, who said, “Oh, I’ve heard a lot about you.” “Her comment bothered me because I hadn’t been too pleasant to the class,” Humes said.

“I had allowed other teachers’ opinions to influence my interaction with that group. My attitude and approach on how I ran my classroom changed after that unfortunate event,” Humes said. “Everyone starts with a clean slate; if we have a bad Tuesday, Wednesday is a new day!”

“I never want to stand in doubt if/when a parent says ‘I’ve heard a lot about you.’ I never want a student to leave my class without knowing how much I cared for him/her,” Humes said.

Her husband Melvin works in software testing for SAIC Inc. Their son Miles, 14, is a Discovery eighth-grader and daughter Melea, 5, will enter kindergarten.

In spare time, she likes to ‘hang out’ with family and friends, read, nap and watch HGTV.