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Photo by Jon Anderson
ALFA and Alabama Farmers Federation President Jimmy Parnell presents Bluff Park Elementary first grade teacher Katie Collins, Alabama's 2025-26 Teacher of the Year, with the keys to a 2025 Chevrolet Traverse at her school in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.
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Bluff Park Elementary School first grade teacher Katie Collins, Alabama's 2025-26 Teacher of the Year, shows her class the 2025 Chevrolet Traverse provided to her for a year by ALFA on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.
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The 2025 Chevrolet Traverse provided to Bluff Park Elementary School first grade teacher Katie Collins in recognition of her being the 2025-26 Alabama Teacher of the Year.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
ALFA and Alabama Farmers Federation President Jimmy Parnell presents Bluff Park Elementary first grade teacher Katie Collins, Alabama's 2025-26 Teacher of the Year, with the keys to a 2025 Chevrolet Traverse at her school in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.
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Alabama schools Superintendent Eric Mackey speaks at a ceremony honoring Katie Collins, the 2025-26 Alabama Teacher of the Year, at Bluff Park Elementary School in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.
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Bluff Park Elementary School students gather in their gym for a ceremony honoring 2025-26 Alabama Teacher of the Year Katie Collins in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.
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Hoover schools Superintendent Kevin Maddox talks about 2025-26 Alabama Teacher of the Year Katie Collins, who teaches first grade at Bluff Park Elementary School in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.
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Katie Collins, the 2025-26 Alabama Teacher of the Year, speaks at a ceremony in her honor at Bluff Park Elementary School in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.
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Bluff Park Elementary School Principal Ami Weems talks about 2025-26 Alabama Teacher of the Year Katie Collins, who teaches first grade at Bluff Park, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
ALFA and Alabama Farmers Federation President Jimmy Parnell presents Bluff Park Elementary first grade teacher Katie Collins, Alabama's 2025-26 Teacher of the Year, with the keys to a 2025 Chevrolet Traverse at her school in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.
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Katie Collins, the 2025-26 Alabama Teacher of the Year, smiles as she is honored at Bluff Park Elementary School in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.
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State Rep. David Faulkner chats with 2025-26 Alabama Teacher of the Year Katie Collins at Bluff Park Elementary School in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.
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Bluff Park Elementary School first grade teacher Katie Collins, Alabama's 2025-26 Teacher of the Year, shows her class the 2025 Chevrolet Traverse provided to her for a year by ALFA on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.
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A saying shared by Katie Collins, the 2025-26 Alabama Teacher of the Year, at Bluff Park Elementary School in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.
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Bluff Park Elementary School first grade teacher Katie Collins, Alabama's 2025-26 Teacher of the Year, shows her class the 2025 Chevrolet Traverse provided to her for a year by ALFA on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.
Alfa Insurance, the Alabama Farmers Federation and state schools Superintendent Eric Mackey on Tuesday presented Bluff Park Elementary first grade teacher Katie Collins with a new vehicle for her to use as Alabama’s 2025-26 Teacher of the Year.
Alfa President Jimmy Parnell handed over the keys of a new 2025 Chevrolet Traverse to Collins at her school after a ceremony honoring her selection as Alabama Teacher of the Year, and Collins immediately showed it off to her class.
Collins will spend this next school year traveling around the state and nation, providing professional development to other teachers and representing teachers across the state as she speaks to various groups.
She also plans to use the Chevrolet Traverse to do a traveling podcast in partnership with Aubrey Bennett, a teacher from George Washington Carver High School in Birmingham who is Alabama’s Secondary Teacher of the Year and Alternate State Teacher of the Year. They plan to interview other teachers around the state, much in the vein of Jerry Seinfeld’s show “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.”
On Tuesday, Bluff Park Elementary School Principal Ami Weems shared how she and others at Bluff Park knew back in October when they selected Collins as their school’s Teacher of the Year that she had a great chance of going all the way to win state Teacher of the Year.
“Katie makes everyone feel seen, heard and valued. She is probably one of the most passionate people I know,” Weems said. “If you have something that you’re passionate about, all you have to do is tell Mrs. Collins that you’re passionate about it, and she is going to speak some kind of life into you that makes you want to go run through a brick wall, and all of a sudden, your passions become a reality.”
Passion increases motivation and engagement, enhances problem solving and creativity and helps develop persistence and a growth mindset, Weems said.
Collins is passionate about mental health and wants to make a difference in that area, and this is her chance to do that, Weems said.
While she will miss seeing Collins pull her big Silver Suburban into the parking lot next to her tiny car every day and come into school with her four bags on her arm and oversized coffee mug, and she will miss seeing Collins’ face and energy around the school next year, she is excited for the state of Alabama that is going to experience that same energy, that same compassion, that same sense of love that Bluff Park Elementary gets from Collins every day, Weems said.
Students at the school shared how Collins teaches with tough love and fun, reminds them the importance of having a good mindset and that they can accomplish much through commitment and effort, and encourages them to celebrate their differences and uniqueness.
Hoover schools Superintendent Kevin Maddox recalled how he had been on the job as superintendent for just two weeks when he got an email from Collins asking him to participate in a skit with first graders at Bluff Park.
He thought that was a bold move on her part to email a new superintendent with such a request and has been impressed with her knowledge, creativity and drive. He noticed how students in the gym were chanting her name to show support for her and how she has earned their respect.
He believes she will be a phenomenal representative for teachers not only at Bluff Park and Hoover City Schools, but for teachers throughout the state, he said.
Mackey, the state superintendent, said he’s happy to celebrate with Collins and looks forward to seeing her represent the state and the teaching profession as she travels around.
Parnell with Alfa said most people can remember a teacher who lit a fire in their life and, after meeting Collins, “I believe this lady can start a fire underwater.”
Collins thanked Mackey for his leadership at the state and Alfa for the vehicle she gets to drive.
She also shared a quote from actress Audrey Hepburn that is posted outside her classroom door: “To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.”
“To me, this quote represents the crux of why we as educators do what we do each and every day,” Collins said.
The children in the classroom represent gardens, she said.
“We believe that what we do in each and every moment of tending the garden is vital to the growth of what is to come,” Collins said. “So we watch for the child who needs a little extra fertilizer or TLC. We wipe away tears when one of our students begins to blossom. We notice when a child lacks nutrients and we make sure that they are well-watered and ready to withstand a full day in the sun. We pray for rain. We pray for sun. We pray for the garden that we believe in, even when it just resembles a plot of arid dirt. We show up, weathering the harsh conditions and true difficulties that come with this garden. The weeds of adversity pop up, yet we never once stop believing that this garden will bear fruit, and with that, we dream of the harvest that will impact the greater good of the community.”
Teachers celebrate the sprouting that takes place in the garden, even if they have to look very closely to see it, she said.
“We learn from mistakes, understanding that real growth only comes from pruning and refining our practice,” Collins said. “We happily share the knowledge we gain with other gardeners like us – sharing tips and tricks and motivating each other to just keep planting. We are in the business of seeing the potential in everything, in every situation, in every person we meet. We are the gardeners, and we believe in tomorrow.”
Teachers typically don’t do what they do for a big paycheck, recognition, accolades or even a shiny, new vehicle with an apple on the outside of it, Collins said.
“ We are here because we believe in something that is way bigger than ourselves,” she said. “We believe in the transformative power of education, and we know full well that society is built upon this foundation. We believe in humanity. We believe that our work makes a difference. … We are called to serve. We are called to teach.”
Read more about Collins in the June print edition of the Hoover Sun.
