Shawn Marie Dennis has been named Nissan of Picayune’s Teacher of the Week.

She is a first grade teacher at Pearl River Central Elementary who has been teaching in the Pearl River County School District the entirety of her 19-year teaching career.

The thing she loves most about teaching is when the students get excited when they experience or learn something new.

“When the light bulb goes off their energy is captivating and motivates me as a teacher to be the best I can be,” Dennis said. She also loves to see her students grow as they achieve their goals and accomplishments later in life.

“The most important thing that I want my students to take away from their time in my class is the relationship and the bond I have with each and every one of them. I try to let each student know that they are smart, special, important and loved,” Dennis said.

An interesting fact about Dennis is she expands her love of education by providing dance lessons of various types to children of all ages.