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Andrea Roark – Brown Middle School
May 6, 2026 —Teacher Appreciation Week is a time to stop and think about the people who shape lives every single day. This year, one name stands out at Brown Middle School: Andrea Roark. She has been teaching there for 30 years — at the very same school she walked the halls of as a student. For Roark, teaching has always been more than just a job. It is a calling.
Roark did not always picture herself in front of a classroom. Her mother taught for 35 years, so she grew up watching the job up close. But she still wasn’t sure it was the right fit for her.
“I kind of didn’t see myself being a teacher because I was too quiet,” she said with a laugh. “And then something changed, and here I am.”
Something definitely changed. Thirty years later, Roark is one of Brown Middle School’s most beloved educators. She teaches history — and a whole lot more than that.
Ask Roark what reminds her that her work matters, and she doesn’t have to think very long. It is not a test score or an award. It is the moment a former student spots her out in the world.
“When former students see us out and about — when they’re working at Zaxby’s, or we run into them on the athletic field — that joy just to see them grow and mature into young adults is so rewarding,” she said.
Those run-ins remind her of why she shows up every day. Watching a kid who once sat in her classroom grow into a confident young adult — that is the reward no paycheck can match.
That joy just to see them grow and mature into young adults is so rewarding.
Most people think teaching ends when the school bell rings. Roark knows better. The planning, the tweaking, the rethinking of lessons — it follows her home every night.
“I do a lot of extra work at home,” she said. “I’m always tweaking things. I just feel like the kids could get something better out of it if I change this one thing.”
Even after 30 years of teaching history, Roark does not rely on old lesson plans. She keeps working to make things better, because she knows her students deserve it.
For Roark, having a real connection with students is not a bonus — it is the foundation that everything else is built on. She is honest, easygoing, and not afraid to use a little humor to break the ice.
“I am real with students,” she said. “I use some humor. I’m easygoing. I realize that they are kids and the middle school years are difficult. I believe making students feel safe and connected is the most crucial role of an educator.”
She remembers what it felt like to be in middle school, and she uses that memory to guide how she treats her students. Middle school is a tough time. Kids are figuring out who they are. Roark makes sure they never feel like they are doing it alone.
At the end of the year, Roark gets a little emotional thinking about certain students — the ones who worked incredibly hard, the ones who struggled and kept going anyway.
“I can get teary-eyed over a certain kid,” she said. “Every teacher has a student or two that you are so proud of for all the effort they put in.”
When asked about her small win for this year, Roark did not hesitate for even a second.
“Connections. It has to be connections,” she said. “When your student comes up to you and says, ‘I’m going to miss you,’ I’ll take that over any test grade.”
That is the kind of teacher Andrea Roark is. Not just an educator, but someone who shows up every single day to make her students feel seen, safe, and supported. After 30 years, the fire has not gone out. If anything, it burns brighter.
Teacher Appreciation Week is a reminder that education is more than lessons and lesson plans. It is connection. It is trust. It is someone who believes in you when you are still figuring out how to believe in yourself. For hundreds of students at Brown Middle School, that someone has been Andrea Roark.
