Teacher Appreciation Week: Cathie Wells Always Knew Her Path Lies in Education

BETHALTO - Cathie Wells believes she was “destined” to work in education.

Wells is a fourth grade teacher at Meadowbrook Intermediate School in the Bethalto Community Unit School District #8. Over the past 31 years at Meadowbrook, she has taught third and fourth grade, and she has enjoyed every minute. This Teacher Appreciation Week, she’s celebrating a great career in the field she loves.

“I enjoy hearing my fourth graders’ laughter and seeing their smiles every day,” Wells said. “Those are the students that have made my job so fulfilling.”

Wells always knew she wanted to work with children. When she got her first job as a teacher’s aide, she realized she was on the right track. Since then, she has spent the last few decades working with 9- and 10-year-olds in Bethalto and feeling certain that she is in the perfect field for her.

She loves watching the kids experience “lightbulb” moments, when they finally understand a concept they’ve been working toward for a long time. It’s rewarding to Wells to know her students aren’t just learning, but they’re enjoying it, too.

Because Wells is such a passionate teacher, it bothers her when she can’t spend as much time with a struggling student as she would like. She tries to meet every student where they’re at and provide the individualized support they need to be successful. Her focus on each child does not go unnoticed, and her students know they can count on her to support them through everything they experience.

When she’s not at school, Wells spends time with her family and goes camping. She also plans to travel after she retires.

Meadowbrook Intermediate will be sad to see her go, but Wells can retire knowing she truly made a difference in the lives of so many kids.

“I have been teaching for the past 31 years at Meadowbrook Intermediate,” she said. “I feel very blessed to have been at Meadowbrook for all those years, working with some of the best coworkers there are!”

Thank you to Cathie Wells for your work as a teacher!

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