Hello! My name is Traci Cherry. My passion for teaching English Learners began in the year 1999, and even after all this time, I’m still loving it! After graduating from the University of North Alabama with a BA in Public Relations, I moved to Athens, AL, where, during my first year, I returned to college at the University of Alabama in Huntsville to earn an MA in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). I have served in the world of EL (English Learners) from elementary to adult ages, working as a private tutor, in various school systems, a local community college, and as a volunteer in the community. I enjoy working as an adjunct instructor with a Second Language Acquisition course at Athens State University.

During my college years, I volunteered to tutor ESL (English as a Second Language) students, ranging from elementary to collegiate levels, and I also worked as an Adult ESL Instructor at Calhoun Community College. My student teaching (internship) was at Heritage Elementary School in Madison during the 2006-2007 academic year as I served the school in the ELL (English Language Learner) Assistant role. Since that time, I have worked with Limestone County Schools, Morgan County Schools, and Athens City Schools as an EL Teacher. As a volunteer, I led an adult ESL program and served as a teacher within that capacity. In the pioneer year of 2009-2010, I had the honor of serving as one of the first ELL Regional Coaches for the Alabama Department of Education. As a second language learner myself, I have been pursuing learning Spanish for over twenty years, with experiences in Guatemala and Colombia. I am married to a wonderful man, and we are raising our two joyful daughters. We enjoy the outdoors and playing games together.

It is truly a great honor to come full circle and return to Madison City Schools at Journey Middle School. It is a complete joy to be an EL Teacher, and I look forward to serving our Madison community. I am very excited about getting to know you!