Miranda Lambert Puts Two Teachers in 100,000 Classrooms
One of them kept her from dropping out of school; the other helped her get over stage fright so that she could perform in front of crowds. They are Miranda Lambert's former teachers from East Texas and now their images will be featured with their famous former student on posters that will hang in 100,000 schools across the nation. The poster will read: "Behind every famous person is a fabulous teacher."
"I was so excited," Miranda's former teacher Janice Caldwell tells KLTV in Lindale, Texas. "I went into my classroom and told everyone, 'You are not going to believe this. I'm going to be in a photo shoot with Miranda!'"
April Coker was so ecstatic when she got the news from Miranda on the phone, she stormed a school assembly in progress to make her joyous announcement. "I started crying on the phone and then I composed myself and thanked her and got off the phone and just ran into the cafeteria. They were watching a video. I flipped on the lights and I said, 'Stop! I've got something to tell y'all!'"
The two women who so profoundly impacted Miranda's life were flown to Nashville for the photo shoot with their former student. They were then honored with a week of appreciation which included tickets to the Nashville Rising concert benefiting flood victims and an invitation to Miranda and Blake Shelton's engagement party. It was a week of appreciation the two educators will never forget.
"I helped her not quit school and April helped her graduate from school," says Mrs. Caldwell, who counts a hug from Reba McEntire while in Nashville among the highlights of her week. "When you are standing there and Reba McEntire hugs your neck ... I said, 'Oh my goodness!' But this is the neat thing ... I am putting it all on Facebook and so many of my former students said, 'Reba McEntire should have been excited to have been hugged by Mrs. Caldwell!'"
"When you work so hard all these years and you have somebody that is so successful, but then they remember your efforts for them to help them, then it just hits you in the heart," says Ms. Coker.
Janice Caldwell has been teaching at Lindale ISD for 19 years and April Coker taught 22 years at the school and now works outside the district. In years past, Carrie Underwood and Wynonna Judd have participated in the award-winning "Behind Every Famous Person is a Fabulous Teacher" campaign.
More From TheBoot
