Courtney Roots ambition to become a teacher began during her high school years when she met one

memorable teacher that not only taught students based on individual abilities and needs, but also built a one of a kind relationship with each student. Even before college, she already had an idea of what it took to be a remarkable teacher. She attended the University of Michigan-Flint where she graduated with honors; receiving a Bachelors degree in Secondary Education, with a major in English and a minor in Biology. Shortly after graduation, Courtney received a teaching position as a sixth grade English and Reading teacher. During her first year of teaching, Courtney Root was recognized as the schools New Teacher of the Year. After that, she moved to the Tampa area where she completed her second year as a Freshman and Sophomore English teacher. During her time as a high school teacher, Courtney was a member of several programs focused on increasing students academic achievement. She was a credit recovery teacher after school, a member of Small Learning Communities, and a participant in Bill and Melinda Gates research project called Measures of Effective Teaching. Even though, at times, teaching can be a challenging profession, Courtney Root cannot imagine herself doing anything else. She enjoys learning about all of her students, building relationships with them, and creating differentiated lessons that spark interest in every student. Most recently, she has had the opportunity to utilize her present teaching skills and continue learning new ones as a current teacher for Florida Virtual School.