2021 Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce Educator of the Year - Stephanie Young

The Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce held their annual Awards Banquet on Thursday, March 31, 2022 at the Boat House Wine Co.

Toni Hill, Superintendent of Bloomfield Schools, and a Chamber Board Member, was unable to attend the awards banquet.  Mrs. Casey Karnes, middle school principal at Bloomfield Schools, filled in last minute, and presented the Educator of the Year Award.

After moving back to Missouri after an eighteen year stint in Wyoming, Stephanie Young, decided to return to college to obtain her education degree.

However the first hurdle, besides two young children and a long commute daily, was taking the entrance exam into the education program.  Standing in line with all the babies fresh out of high school she had never felt so out of place.  But clutching her freshly sharpened #2 pencils and an ID that had a birthday significantly preceding any of the people in that line, she forged onward.  That led to her education degree after a year and half and the rest is now history.

Stephanie did her student teaching in Sikeston for one block and Bloomfield for the other. After teaching in Bloomfield she decided that the Bloomfield School District was the only place she wanted to work and applied only to Bloomfield.  She was working as a rural mail carrier when she received a call about an interview.  The day she interviewed was particularly hot and dusty on the route, but fortunately they saw through the pigpen appearance and she received a job offer to teach third grade.

Stephanie spent 18 years teaching third grade and fully expected to retire from that grade level when she received an invitation to teach 6th grade math and science.  She planned on turning it down as teaching middle school was akin to war only with more hormones.  After much thought and prayer she decided to take the position and was rewarded with a renewed sense of purpose and discovered she loved middle school.  She taught 6th grade for 3 years and is currently working as an Interventionist which allows her to work many different grade levels, students, and teachers.  She hopes that the students she has had over the years have good memories for the statement "Children won't always remember what you taught them but they will always remember how you made them feel" rings true.

Stephanie currently resides in Dexter although her husband is pushing for Florida.  She is married to Jeremiah Young, has two adult daughters and three wonderful grandchildren ages 13, 5 and 1.

Congratulations Stephanie Young, Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce Educator of the Year!