Woodrow Wilson High School welcomes our new inclusion teacher Michelle Howell. Michelle Howell has been teaching for 15 years and this will be her first year teaching at Woodrow. Howell’s inspiration for becoming a teacher came from her parents who were both educators. “My dad was a shop teacher and my mother taught just about every grade level throughout her career.” Ever since she was a little girl Howell knew that teaching was her calling. Howell has a masters degree in elementary education from Indiana University, an administration certificate from Longwood University, and she has done coursework in special education. She graduated from Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida in 1995. Along with being a teacher Howell was also an assistant principal at Park View High School and a principal at Central High School in Victoria, Virginia from 2022 to 2024.
Howell has taught grades first, third, fourth, and fifth, and this year she will be teaching ninth and tenth. She enjoys teaching high school students and hopes to be a role model for them. “High school students are making a lot of big decisions that impact their life and their future, so I like to try and connect with them and be a role model for them.” Howell’s goal for teaching high schoolers is to provide opportunities for students who are having trouble in school. She recalls a moment in her career of being a principal where a student was dealing with a situation that made it hard for her at school and she was able to help them. “We were able to get her across the line. She was the first person in her entire family to earn a high school diploma.”
Howell strives to build connections with her students and fellow faculty members. “This year my goal is to develop deep connections with my students and continue to build and collaborate with my fellow teachers.” She enjoys being the bridge for students who learn differently by breaking down subjects to help students understand what is being taught. “I believe that all students can learn and I help bridge that gap for students who have a little bit more difficulty with the traditional way of learning.” Outside of school Howell can be found spending time with her family and hiking. Howell would like us to know that she is a proud mother of six adult children and she and her husband are adjusting to having an empty nest.
