PARADIS — Rebecca Lee said there are many amazing moments in teaching, so picking one out is extremely difficult.

However, the J. B. Martin Middle School teacher said it only takes a few moments to reach a student and a detention duty last school year drove the point home.

Lee was reminded of the story recently while talking about her latest honor as her school’s Teacher of Year for the 2016-17 academic term.

Lee said a sixth grade student came into detention with an attitude, announcing she had no homework or anything to be completed for school that day.

“Well, I said, choose a book from my shelf and you will read for an hour,” Lee said. “You would’ve thought I stepped on that child’s foot for all the groaning that came from her. Finally, I chose for her. She had never heard of Sept. 11; the I Survived Series, The Attacks of September 11, 2001 short novel was perfect. Oh no, I didn’t say easy … I said perfect. She fought me for a while, procrastinating, bathroom break, “can I do anything else,” and other avoidance behaviors. In response, I took the novel and set it aside. I showed her a video from that history changing day, and another, and a tribute, and another.”

Lee said the student asked why her teacher was making her cry before she explained there are events in life that everyone needs to do more than just read about.

“We talked about where I was that day and how I visited New York that Thanksgiving while the towers still burned,” Lee said. “The bell rang and I had never seen anyone more disappointed to leave detention. She came back, running into my classroom a minute later, announcing that she had forgotten the book. She grabbed it from the table and ran out the room.”

The next morning, Lee said, “that sweet little non-reading sixth grader made her way back to my room, said she finished the book that night and pulled another book from my shelf. I cried.”

Lee is a 16-year educator, spending ten of those years in St. Charles Parish Public Schools. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Education for the University of New Orleans and is a member of the school’s “Student Events Committee,” where she serves as chair.

Lee is married and has two sons.