Teacher of the Week: Kaylee Norris

Our Teacher of the Week is living out a childhood dream every day in her classroom at Zebulon Gifted and Talented Magnet Elementary School.
Posted 1/14/2026, 2:02:16 PM Updated 1/14/2026, 3:00:07 PM

IT TERRIBLY LATE THIS MORNING.

CHRIS, THANK YOU.

>> OUR TEACHER OF THE WEEK

ALWAYS KNEW SHE WANTED TO BE AN

EDUCATOR WRAL'S. KEN SMITH

TAKES US TO ZEBULON, GIFTED AND

TALENTED MAGNET ELEMENTARY

SCHOOL. TO SURPRISE THIS.

WELL, DESERVING TEACHER.

>> SO HOW WOULD I PUT THAT INTO

A UNIQUE WAY? JING WRITER

KAYLIE NORRIS IS LIVING OUT A

CHILDHOOD DREAM EVERY DAY IN

HER CLASSROOM. WE SAY 7.

YES, WE'RE DORIS WAS AROUND THE

AGE OF HER CURRENT STUDENTS.

SHE SHARED HOW THE EXPERIENCE

OF READING TO FIRST GRADERS

MADE HER WANT TO BECOME A

TEACHER. ONE DAY I WENT TO A

DIFFERENT PLACE THAN THE ONE

THAT I HAD NORMALLY GONE TOO.

>> AND I CAME BACK AND THE KIDS

WERE LIKE.

>> GOSH, I MISS YOU. AND SO

IT GAVE ME THAT SENSE OF

PURPOSE. AND THEN AS I GOT

OLDER, I WANTED TO DO THINGS

THAT WOULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

THAT SENSE OF PURPOSE IS HOW

DORIS APPROACHES EACH DAY.

SO WHAT WAS OUR ANSWER FOR

NUMBER 4 MAKING LEARNING

INTERESTING AND SOMETIMES

DELICIOUS, LIKE THE TIMES USED

OR YOU COOKIES TO DEMONSTRATE

THE DIFFERENT PHASES OF THE

MOON AND THE KIDS AND DOING TO

TREAT AFTERWARDS. ACCORDING TO

HER NOMINATION LETTER, WHAT IS

TEACHING DO FOR YOU? I KNOW

THAT I'M SERVING THESE KIDS THE

BEST THAT I CAN AND, YOU KNOW,

SOME OF THESE KIDS.

>> YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING

ON AT HOME AND SOMETIMES SCHOOL

AS THEY'RE OUT WITH THEIR

SKATE. AND I LIKE BEING PART

OF IT.

>> THIS IS NOT US.

WRAL'S TEACHER OF THE WEEK.

GIVE A BIG ROUND OF APPLAUSE

CONGRATULATIONS AND MS NORRIS

ALSO TEACHES SIGN LANGUAGE AS

AN ELECTIVE.

>> IF YOU'D LIKE TO NOMINATE

A TEACHER, GO TO WRAL DOT COM