LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Katrina Scott-Davis was nominated by her colleague, Thomas Denson. 

Mrs. Davis can be described as a leader, community liaison, and role model. She is an exceptional leader within the building, and it is incredible how many teachers and teacher assistants come to her for assistance. Mrs. Davis knows curriculum, routines, procedures, duties, and much more like the back of her hand. She arrives at work early and stays late to assist others. She is proactive with everything she does, which is a lot. 

"Our paraprofessionals do not get the credit they deserve, and as a teacher who works closely with her for seven hours per day, I feel this LifeChanger nomination was the perfect opportunity to give credit where credit is due," said Denson.

She is adored by the admin team, faculty, families, community, and, of course, the students. She goes above and beyond for everyone inside and outside of the building, whether it is checking to see if teachers have their assessments completed to help out, running copies for other assistants who may be behind, or running to the store for a family member to get last minute supplies for them due to their work schedule for a project. She is the epitome of excellence as an employee and in her work performance. 

"In the five years I have worked closely with Mrs. Davis, she knows I have a lot on my plate. I run our elementary Broadcast Journalism Club, where we have students perform our morning announcements live in the mornings, and we invite community members to the school to conduct interviews on camera," said Denson.

Mrs. Davis knows a lot of people outside of school who are extraordinary individuals who do great things for Memphis and the surrounding areas. Mrs. Davis assists in getting contact information for the club to welcome these individuals on the student's behalf, reaching out to these individuals, and more. She also assists the school administration in gathering donations for our many charity events due to her connections with the community. Like her job duties, she is always willing to assist everyone who may need it and involves herself as much as possible. Whether it is rallying troops to donate candy for the annual Trunk or Treat or taking the lead in school programs for the holidays and award shows, she is involved and loves every minute of it. 

"When my mother passed away last year, I had to take a week off of work for arrangements and her funeral. Mrs. Davis not only led the classroom for that full week but brought together a team of co-workers who could donate last-minute funds to help with the funeral," said Denson.

She knows how to complete all of her paperwork before it is due, create small group activities, prefers to write her lesson plans (because she teaches her small group) based on the master copy, chooses to assist other teachers or teacher assistants if they are behind on assessments, and sends her emails to the grade level group of paraprofessionals reminding them of things that are due and offers her assistance. No one asks her to do this, but she chooses to, and because of this, the other teacher assistants look up to her as their leader and role model.

"She is hands down one of the best assistants I have ever had the pleasure to work with due to her leadership and work ethic," Denson added. "If there is anyone who does an excellent job at garnering support, it is Mrs. Davis. It does not matter who the individual is; she is there to vouch for the need."

Mrs. Davis understands that everything is done for the kids. She has such a strong connection with other hourly employees that she can get them on board.

"In Prek, the ratio is critical as we must have one teacher or TA per 10 children. Morning duties can be challenging as we begin getting children out of the car rider line before hourly employees are required to be there. She was able to speak with them and get them to come in a few extra minutes early to assist teachers. The morning car rider line flows now, thanks to Mrs. Davis. There also is a teacher assistant whose job title is 'floater.' Mrs. Davis spoke with her and created a schedule that worked for her. Now, the day flows, and teachers have more assistance in each classroom because of this," said Denson.

There are many examples of the ways she garners support. She has a gift for getting people to help, and it shows when you visit the school and classrooms—all thanks to Mrs. Davis.

"Everyone in our school building knows that Mrs. Davis is the go-to paraprofessional," said Denson. "She has the best work ethic and exceeds the school's expectations. This is all based on her love and dedication to the students. Everything she does is because of the needs of the children."

She is the go-to for the building's teachers, many SEAs, and other TAs. She assists them in many ways, advises them, teaches them, leads them, and genuinely wants them to be the best they can be. They see how she interacts with parents, builds relationships, and teaches them how she can do this and the importance of this for the classroom and school culture.

"Since she does it just because it's who she is, it enhances the morality of our staff, and you begin to see each employee use her strategies themselves. It helps build the culture and climate of our school, and it welcomes new students who want to be a part of our amazing school," Denson stated.  "She is phenomenal in all she does for the school and the employees she works with."

Mrs. Davis is also a huge advocate for children with special needs. With two children of her own who have gone through special education services, you will see her vouching for all students who may have been overlooked or parents who may have not quite figured out their child needs support. Due to her knowledge of IEPs and sometimes parents not understanding the process of beginning an IEP, she begins discussions with them, becomes an ally, and fosters relationships with these parents, who wind up trusting and leaning on her knowledge. She is just a fantastic person who cares, the type of person who exemplifies what it means to be a LifeChanger. An empathetic employee who demonstrates exceptional work, builds relationships with families, and supports everyone who may need a little help outside her job responsibilities.