Roberts begins career at Belgreen

The 2018-29 academic year marks Dalany Roberts’ first year as a teacher in the Franklin County School system – but it’s not her first year in Franklin County.

Roberts, who is originally from Colorado, has lived in Franklin County for four years now. She moved here to attend the University of North Alabama and pursue a degree in education, and since she ended up meeting and falling in love with Red Bay native Justin Roberts during her time at UNA, she has called Franklin County home ever since.

“It’s a big deal for me to be teaching in Franklin County. I want to provide a good educational background for our local children,” Roberts said.

Roberts is now a fourth-grade teacher at Belgreen and is certified in kindergarten through sixth grade.

Based on her own experiences, Roberts said she holds to the belief that teachers motivate and set the guidelines and expectations for their students, and she wants to provide that support system to her own students.

“We give them the foundation for their educational career, no matter what they want to pursue,” she said.

Roberts said the elementary years are crucial to how a student views his or her life going forward.

“I want to provide them an open, caring environment with an open heart and open arms,” Roberts said.

Roberts kicks off every school day by reminding students that they are awesome, ready to learn and can do great things, and she encourages them to affirm that within themselves and each other as well.

Working at Belgreen was almost a natural progression for Roberts, who had a clinical with a teacher from Franklin County while at UNA who put Belgreen on her radar.

“I like the size of the school. It feels like a tight knit family,” she said. “The community seems to be really involved, and all of my parents have been involved so far.”

Roberts said she plans to continue her education by pursuing her master’s degree in the spring of 2019.