I enjoy seeing the smiles on my student’s faces every day, listening to their stories, and watching them form stronger social relationships….I love seeing the world through their eyes!”

Melissa Long

Stanley-Boyd School is home to some of the most remarkable education professionals in the area and their dedication to the success of their students is inspirational. Melissa Long, Kindergarten Teacher at Stanley Boyd, is one of the best and her students and their families are some of the luckiest in the district. Melissa, who goes by the nickname, Lisa, is new to the Stanley area having moved here two years ago from the Gays Mills area. Lisa and Steve, her husband of 35 years, live north of Stanley near Otter Lake with their 3-year-old mini Australian Shepherd, Haddie. Their move to Stanley was inspired by Lisa’s mother-in-law who gave them some incredible advice before she passed away from cancer. “She told us to “do what you want to do before it is too late.”’ Taking her words to heart, Melissa shared what happened next. “My husband and I were talking about how we have always dreamed of living on a lake and reflected on what his mother said before her passing - we knew that it was time to follow our dreams. Remembering how much we love the Stanley/Otter Lake area combined with a little luck that a house was for sale on Otter Lake, we decided that it was time to take Arlene’s advice.” But it wasn’t smooth sailing for the couple. The week they moved in, the tornado went through Stanley and 18 inches of snow fell in the city that weekend! The exciting start calmed down for Lisa and Steve and they are happy to be here. Lisa mentions that they enjoy the relaxation and the slower pace of the Stanley community. “Everyone is so kind and helpful, “ she remarks. Leaving her previous school, Lisa was initially nervous to begin teaching at Stanley-Boyd, but she was quickly put at ease. “Everyone has made me feel so welcome here. They are so willing to share everything and help out however they can.” She adds that it’s already beginning to feel like family.

Becoming a teacher wasn’t a job that Lisa initially wanted, and it didn’t come easy for her.

Growing up, receiving a secondary education wasn’t encouraged in her family. When Lisa was in her late 20s, she was a teaching assistant for the School District of Janesville where she helped students with severe cognitive disabilities learn self-help and life skills. Lisa explains, “It was at the end of that school year that the teacher I worked with convinced me to become a teacher. So, at the age of 29, I started college for the first time in my life!” Lisa went on to receive her 1-8 Regular Education and Pre-K-9 Special Education degree from UW-Whitewater, Masters in Elementary Education from UW-Platteville, and Birth-Age 8 degree from Viterbo University-LaCrosse. Those five and a half years were a challenging time in Melissa’s life. Her husband worked two full time jobs to support their family and she juggled school and raising her two young children, but Melissa persevered, and the rewards have been great!

Lisa was deeply impacted by one of her own childhood teachers and will always remember her elementary music teacher, Mrs. McDonald. She explained that Mrs. McDonald motivated her to push through her fears and see her own potential. “Growing up, I was pretty shy. When I was in 5th grade, she chose me to be a “cheerleader” for our music concert. This was way out of my comfort zone, but I didn’t want to let her down, so I worked my hardest to remember the routine and performed in front of a full audience.”  Lisa ended up becoming a member of the Prairie du Chien high school band and also competed in Solo & Ensemble throughout her four years in high school. She adds that her music teacher eventually became a 3rd grade teacher in the same district, and she was lucky enough to work under her during her student teaching semester.  

In her free time, Lisa loves to organize. “If I wasn’t a teacher, I would be a professional organizer. I love to organize and am always thinking of new or improved ways of organizing my supplies,” she remarks. Her organizational skills come in handy in her classrooms and save her time looking for missing items. “In my previous school, my colleagues would tease me because I had every bin labeled; but they appreciated that when they needed to borrow something from me, I knew right where it was.” She hopes to have the same level of order at Stanley-Boyd. “Organization in my new classroom is still a work in progress, a labor of love for sure!” she explains. Lisa also enjoys her newfound love of fishing. Lisa and her large family of twelve brothers and sisters grew up along the Mississippi River, but she never learned to fish as a child. Her husband Steve is an avid outdoorsman, which opened up the opportunity for Lisa to learn more about fishing.

“Now we enjoy fishing together and sometimes I catch more, and bigger, fish than him!” she says. Lisa also enjoys spending time together with her family, especially with her son, Brady, daughter, Brittany, son in law, Brandon, and two granddaughters, Thea and Remi. When it comes to her favorite food, Lisa enjoys Chinese food, hibachi and shrimp.

Being a caring teacher comes with its own challenges and for Lisa, it was no exception. “One of my hardest challenges as a teacher was adapting to the changes in teaching during COVID. Learning the ins and outs of teaching via virtual education and being sure my students received a quality education despite the challenges of stay-at-home learning, was a difficult but rewarding experience,” she mentions.

It takes a lot of patience and energy to teach little ones and the kindness and compassion Lisa has for her students shines every day in her classroom. “I enjoy seeing the smiles on my student’s faces every day, listening to their stories, and watching them form stronger social relationships….I love seeing the world through their eyes!” Lisa makes sure that her students have fun while they learn. “Teaching kindergarten extends beyond the typical reading and math – we learn through dancing, fun songs, and hands-on-activities too. Being silly and having fun while learning solidifies those lessons and seeing the smiles on my students’ faces and hearing them laugh is one of the best rewards of my job,” she says. Lisa’s goal is to help her students reach their fullest potential. She shares that she cares for each child as if they were her own and she hopes for them to succeed in all aspects both in and beyond the classroom. Lisa explains what her students have shown her. “My students have taught me that despite any previous challenge or failure, whether socially or academically, children are resilient. And with a supportive and nurturing environment, a child’s confidence and abilities can grow exponentially.”

Lisa knows that for a child to have a successful academic career, it takes a collaboration between their parents and their teachers.

“Helping their child succeed in school is a team effort between the teachers and parents. I tailor my teaching to maximize each child’s potential, sometimes challenging them with more difficult content to increase their academic abilities. I work hard to help my students succeed despite potential behavioral tendencies they may have had in previous settings.” She continues, “I enjoy working with students and parents to establish a positive reinforcement plan for good behavior in the classroom.”

The rest of the school year holds promise for Lisa and her students. She says, “I am excited to watch my students grow both socially and academically.”