My name is Zach Alley, and I am from Fentress County. I graduated from Alvin C. York Agricultural Institute in May of 2008. I am the first in my immediate family to attend a 4-year university, and to obtain my Associates and Bachelor’s Degrees. I graduated Roane State Community College in May of 2011 with my Associate of Science in Education and I graduated Western Governors University in December of 2014 with my Bachelors of Science in Elementary and Middle School Education, grades K-6 and 4-8. I have worked in various roles throughout my school career: mentor, tutor, paraprofessional, substitute teacher, student teacher, and intervention specialist. I have also worked (and survived) two grand openings of new restaurants, where I served as a shift supervisor for one and an assistant manager for the other.

I have always felt as though teaching has been my “calling.” I get such a joy from being around children, and around others who share that same joy! I believe that the youth of today need proper guidance, and that they desire it! I feel that if I could make only a small change in just one youth of today, then I have fulfilled my heart’s true desire. I have a very special place in my heart for middle school and high school teenagers, because I believe that they are at that crucial stage in life where they desire positive attention and guidance, and where education either becomes a priority or a chore. I want to always make the importance of a better education a priority for my students.  I began my experience, while attending Roane State courses, through a program called AmeriCorps. I began working in a local elementary school, as an “in-class” assistant and youth mentor. I fell in LOVE with the kids, and really began to see the need for proper male authority figures in teaching positions. Not long into the experience, I realized that teaching is definitely my calling! My AmeriCorps experience taught me so much more than any of my college training could. I soon began to find my “groove” to the whole “teaching” thing…and began to develop a professional knowledge of my co-workers, colleagues, and students. My favorite part of the job, though, was being able to be a mentor to these kids (especially the boys) who have not got a solid male figure in their life that they can count on to care about them, love them, and just be there for them.  After my AmeriCorps “internship” ended in May, I began to ponder on the future. In August of the next school year, I returned to the same elementary school and began devoting volunteer hours to the school until receiving substitute training in October of 2009. After being certified as a substitute teacher for the Fentress County School System, I began to experience whole new levels of teaching…which enabled me to realize just where I was happiest. My subbing experience also confirmed for me that I thrive best within the middle school and junior high grade levels.

Teaching has always been a passion of mine, and is truly my heart’s desire! However, this is not my “job.” A job is something you do because you have to. This is my “career,” because I wake up every morning and go to work, ENJOYING what I do! Nothing beats seeing the students smile, and hearing your name constantly throughout the day. It’s music to my ears; one of the sweetest songs I know! There is never a day goes by that I don’t think of my students first, above all else. No matter what is going on in my life, I always want to be the “solid rock” in my students’ lives, because I know that so many of them are just trying to find that one person who they can trust, no matter what. I relate to my students because I have been there, and I remember what it is like being there. That is why I try to be the type of role model that these kids need in their lives today—a positive one; I strive to be better than those who were role models to me (and believe me, that is a hard task to do!)

I teach because I want my students to remember me, later on in life, and be able to say: “He inspired me! He helped me realize that I do have a future!” I want them to be able to know, say, and believe that “Mr. Zach cared about me and my future!” I want them to know that THAT is why I push them to be their absolute, very best in EVERY situation! I want my students to never be afraid to stand up for what’s right. I want to be able to teach my students how to be good citizens and to always make the right choices and that it is okay to mess up sometimes…as long as we learn from it, and don’t repeat it! I want my students to know that they can be all that they want to be, and I will encourage them to reach for the stars…but that they have got to work hard for it and earn it…because life is only as best as you make it to be! And without education, you have no solid foundation to stand on.  I strive to make learning fun, in order to keep the students’ attention! My goal is for my students to leave my class (both at the end of each day, and at the end of the year) wanting to know more and becoming anxious to learn as much as possible, and being EXCITED because THEY have the privilege to wake up every morning and come to school, in order to get an education for a BETTER future!

                Why do I teach? I teach because I care. I teach because I learn more from the students than the students could ever learn from me! I teach because it’s my heart. I teach because it’s my life. I teach because it’s my passion! I teach because I want my students to know that, if nobody else believes in them, I DO; and I want them to believe in themselves, too! I teach because I want my students to know that they are great, and that they get greater every day!  I teach because somebody needs me…and I am the one person who can make a difference in their life! Even on my worst days, I am some child’s best hope!