Crystal Trimble didn’t set out to be a teacher, but she believes she has found her calling in the classroom. Trimble is the second Carroll County teacher to be nominated for 2024 Teacher of the Year.
The first grade teacher at Kathryn Winn Primary said she was “shocked and surprised” to be nominated. She doesn’t know who nominated her and laughed that when she got the email notifying her of the nomination she thought it was a scam. I sent it to my principal and she said it looks legitimate, Trimble added.
“I’m very honored. I take what I do very seriously so just to be recognized for the job was an honor,” she said.
Trimble, who is a CCHS graduate, initially pursued a career as a radiology technician. It didn’t take her long to realize that was not her cup of tea. While in college she took a job at an afterschool program and there she found what she loved. “I just fell in love with helping kids and planning activities for them,” she said.
She started her career at Head Start and spent two years completing her master’s degree and getting her teaching certificate. She’s now in her 10th year at Kathryn Winn. “It’s something different every day,” she said, noting it’s so rewarding to see her students grasp concepts.
“Teaching is a lot of work. It’s not all rainbows and butterflies,” she said, noting you have to process things quickly and be ready to change on a dime, but “there’s just something about when the kids really get it,” she said.
She encouraged anyone who is considering a teaching career to follow their dream. “If you have a passion to teach you should definitely go for it because it will be rewarding,” she said. She also suggested anyone interested in teaching should observe classrooms and get a feel of how a teacher runs her classroom.
Trimble was able to quickly identify a few teachers who were instrumental in her early years. Cindy Wheeler was her mentor and Betty Stark, Becky Woods and Beth Sapp all impacted her while she was a student. “I remember them in school really caring about me so I try to make sure every kid knows I care about them.”
Kathryn Winn Primary Principal Donna Monroe was very complimentary of Trimble. “Crystal is a well-respected member of the Carroll County community among families as she treats everyone with kindness. I personally highly respect her work ethic and commitment to being a positive influence in our school system. She is a life-long learner that consistently seeks feedback to improve her teaching while mentoring new teachers to the profession.”
Trimble said she would like to one day become an instructional coach to aid and mentor other teachers and she would like to teach education at the college level.
