Ron Funches

Jennifer then welcomes Akayla Joseph from Houston, Texas, who teaches first grade at Winship Elementary, a Title I school where 100% of the students receive free breakfast and lunch. Akayla loves her students like family, attends every event and birthday party, and regularly goes out of pocket for them. Outside of helping with basic necessities, her favorite items to give her students are books. Since the pandemic, Akayla has been taking her students on “virtual field trips” and posts their adventures online. She also leads daily affirmations with her class and says the most important takeaway from her classroom is to “be kind.”