"I graduated from UTM on a Sunday and started here on Monday," Yates said. Wasting no time jumping into her career she is still eager to pass on knowledge to her students. Yates takes her role seriously concerning enlightening West Tennessee's and America's future generations.

"Never discount the value of a teacher," Yates said. "We hold an immense responsibility with these students to not only give them academic knowledge, but also help them build life skills."

In addition to undergraduate degree in Education from UT-Martin, while teaching she has obtained three degrees from Union University: a master's degree in Education, a degree in Education Specialties and a doctorate in Education.

Currently not a student herself, she is focused on her students teaching them the basics of the governmental system in the United States. "They may never remember the Pythagorean theorem, but they are definitely going to have to know how government leaders are affecting their daily lives and how they need to make a decision in order to vote," Yates said.

Yates said that the most rewarding part of her job is watching the students' transformation from the beginning of the school year. "Then to get to the end of the semester and see how much they've retained and to know I had a hand in that," Yates said.