Coffey Brings Decades of Experience to Title I School

Nearing 30 years into her career, at a time when many educators are winding down, Christy Coffey headed in the other direction.

Coffey raised her hand when Fayette County Public Schools sought to fill open positions for its Promise Academy program that required longer hours for teachers in challenging conditions at two Title I schools.  So she left her job at Southern Elementary as a math recovery teacher where she worked one-on-one and in small groups with students to become a second grade teacher at William Wells Brown.

At Brown, the school day runs 7:45-4:15, meaning Coffey often returns home at 7 p.m. or later. Why take on such a demanding schedule?

“I like to keep learning and keep challenging myself,” she said. “Plus, this is a worthy effort and I feel like I’m making a difference.”

In her class of 20, many students face challenging life circumstances.

“They have such great needs and you have to manage them all day long. It takes a lot out of you emotionally,” she said.

But the rewards are so gratifying. She describes her students as bright, eager to learn and endearing.

“Love is not a strong enough word to describe how I feel about them,” she said. “Some kids have touched me and I’ll carry that the rest of my life. To see them light up when they learn something considering the obstacles students face today… that is so rewarding.”

William Wells Brown is a homecoming of sorts for Coffey who taught there 13 years ago when it was called Johnson Elementary.

That was her first job in Fayette County after starting her career as a teacher for hearing impaired students in Magoffin County. She held the same position at Hancock and Anderson county schools before becoming a classroom teacher in Clark County where she taught fifth grade for five years.

After one year at Johnson Elementary, she moved to Southern Elementary, teaching third, fourth and fifth grade before taking on her role as math recovery teacher.

That’s quite a 28-year career for someone who started college as a piano major (she still plays), but Coffey knows she picked the right career.

“I love my relationships with students,” she said. “The connection you make with kids, you can’t duplicate that. If you’re not a teacher, you don’t know what that means.”