MADISON – Lakesha Doughty mentors fourth-graders at Heritage Elementary School. For 2015, she is “Teacher of the Year” on the Heritage campus.

“This year, we were able to team-teach in which I had the pleasure of teaching language arts, reading and Alabama history,” Doughty said. In other responsibilities, she sponsors the National Elementary Honor Society, serves as a writing committee member and English Language Arts team member and works with the Leader in Me committee.

“For me, one of the most rewarding components of being a teacher is being able to see the fruits of your labor and the overall continued academic growth of my students from beginning to end,” she said.

Even more rewarding for Doughty is the scenario of a student “who may be having trouble on a particular skill. Then, (he or she has) that ‘light bulb’ moment, which makes me love my job even more because I am able to see that look of accomplishment on their faces.”

Doughty attended the University of North Alabama to earn a bachelor’s degree in business and marketing and Alabama A&M University to receive a master’s degree in elementary education. At Middle Tennessee State University, she earned the education specialist degree in curriculum and instruction.

Previously, she taught at Ben Davis Elementary School in Decatur. She has worked at Heritage since 2007.

“A teacher that I will always remember is my third-grade teacher,” Doughty said. “She was always so caring, patient and made everyone feel special. She also made learning fun while teaching us that we should always persevere and never give up.”

As a result of that third-grade teacher’s tutelage, Doughty decided to become an educator.

Her husband Tracy Doughty Sr. works as senior vice president at Huntsville Hospital. Their children are eight-year-old Ty, a third-grader at Heritage, and four-year-old Skylar, who is a student at Lindsay Lane Christian Academy and will enter K4 this upcoming school year.