Soul of 78: Dr. Monisha Moore
Elementary Education Teacher
Words by Anna Lee Vaughn | Image by Justin Hunter
Dr. Monisha Moore has always been inspired by the educational pioneers in her life. Her grandmothers, Hettie Gibson, a tutor, and Vivian Douglas, the local librarian who integrated the Downtown Jasper Library, provided her with an educational background, and this influenced her to pursue a better way of modern education.
Dr. Moore grew up in Oakman, Alabama, attending school while her parents worked. After she graduated high school, she chose to study at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). However, she admits that choosing a degree proved to be a bit of a struggle.
“When I went to college, I wanted to graduate in something that would sound fancier; business or something instead of education. But I kept coming back to education,” says Dr. Moore.
After graduating from UAB with a Bachelor of Arts in English, Dr. Moore settled in Oakman with her family and began working for the United States Postal Service in Birmingham, Alabama. When her children started school, her interest in education was once again piqued.
“My children were never fully satisfied with what was going on at school. They always came home and wanted to know, ‘But why? What's the rest of the story?’” says Dr. Moore.
She decided to challenge her children by taking them to bookstores and libraries to dive into books for answers. Encouraging her children to educate themselves and form their own opinions was especially important to Dr. Moore, and this became the driving force behind her desire to enter the education field.
Since then, she has earned an Education Specialist Degree from the University of West Alabama (UWA) in Elementary Education, and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Elementary Literacy from UAB. She now teaches third grade at Memorial Park School and works at an after-school program called Our Village.
“My favorite part about teaching is absolutely the kids. Seeing the light bulb come on, watching them grow, and helping them develop a sense of awareness so that they question things,” she says.
Dr. Moore’s main goal is to find a better way to educate so that no child is left behind. In the classroom and at Our Village, she implements concepts that began in her childhood.
By pushing students to learn, solve problems, and find their own ways of responding to the world around them, Dr. Moore is becoming an educational pioneer just like her grandmothers. In this, she finds her greatest joy. 78