115
0
Leslie Gable, early literacy coach at Cleveland Elementary, wants students to find a lifelong love of reading.
Gable is a seventh generation Fayette County resident.
“I love this community,” she said. “It’s just home.”
She found a love for learning here, beginning at East Fayette Elementary.
“I loved my elementary school experience. It was a little community at East Fayette,” she said. “The teachers were just so loving, and they poured into all their students.”
They helped her see early on her future could be in the classroom.
“At 5th grade graduation, we got up and we had to say what we wanted to be when we grew up. I had two choices. I wanted to either be a singer or a teacher,” she remembered. “So very different options, but one of them actually did work out.”
Gable has been at Cleveland for several years, and this is year 14 in teaching. She loves the people that make Cleveland Elementary special.
“We really do such a good job coming together and supporting each other,” she said. “This is my community, and I just love being here.”
This is her first year as a literacy coach. It is a new position, with just four in the county this year before expanding to all elementary schools next year. She focuses on students in kindergarten through 3rd grade and also helps with upper grades on structured literacy as needed. Gable also works with fellow teachers as the county dives in with a new literacy program.
“We really focus on supporting the implementation of literacy and building those foundational skills,” she said. “We really try to pour into our teachers here so they can go out and have an impact in the classroom with those kiddos.”
Focusing on literacy is a cause that is close to Gable’s heart.
“I bring a different perspective because I was a struggling reader, and so I can connect with those kiddos maybe a little bit more,” she said. “I know what it’s like to not to be able to read and to really struggle in that area, and it really does just weigh down on you as an individual.”
Every student she helps grow pays forward the kindness her teachers showed her.
“I had so many teachers pour into me and help me get on the right path, and I want to be able to do the same thing, too,” she said. “I want students to be happy, I want them to want to love learning, and to feel like they’re successful. That’s my goal.”
For pouring into the next generation of readers, we honor Gable as this week’s Citizen of the Week.
Do you know a Citizen like Leslie Gable? We’d love for you to nominate them for a future Citizen of the Week.
Anyone in Fayette or Coweta County can nominate a local resident to be featured. Submissions must include between 100 and 500 words explaining why your nominee deserves the spotlight and a photo of them. (Submissions without a photo cannot be accepted.) Fill out the nomination form here:
Each week, one honoree is celebrated in The Citizen, giving us all a chance to recognize the people who enrich our community with their character and care.
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.