Melissa Kiel: Education was her calling
Melissa Kiel is a kindergarten reading intervention teacher at West Elementary School in Franklin County. Before joining West Elementary in 2020, Kiel spent 17 years teaching at Tharptown, another school in the county.
She is married to Jamie Kiel, an Alabama state representative who has served since 2018. Together, they have three daughters.
A native of Colbert Heights in Tuscumbia, Kiel is a graduate of Deshler High School. She later earned an associate’s degree in Radiology from Wallace State Community College. Her studies in Radiology ultimately led her to realize that her true calling lay in education.
Reflecting on her decision to change career paths, Kiel attributes much of her inspiration to the positive influence of the nurturing teachers she had growing up.
“I was one of those children who really didn’t want to be away from home or my mother,” Kiel said. “When I was taken to school, I would cry, but I have sweet memories of my teachers looking back.”
She further emphasized the importance of building strong relationships between home and school.
“From my own upbringing, I knew the importance of that connection,” she said. “Having an open line of communication between school and home is crucial.”
Kiel recognizes that for many students today, school may be the one place where they feel safe and supported. This realization drives her commitment to providing a nurturing environment for all her students, particularly those in her kindergarten reading intervention program.
A firm believer in the importance of early literacy, Kiel stresses the significance of reading to children at home before they enter kindergarten.
“Simply opening a book, letting the children look at the pictures and words, and talking about the book is a fundamental part of their early development,” she said.
As Franklin County experiences a growing number of Hispanic students, Kiel has witnessed firsthand the challenges and rewards of working with students for whom English is not the first language. She expressed deep appreciation for the bilingual aides who help bridge communication between the classroom and non-English speaking families.
“In kindergarten, these children are often learning both languages at once, and it’s amazing to see how easily they adapt,” Kiel said.
Over her two and a half decades in education, Kiel has observed many changes — one of the most significant being the rise of technology in the classroom.
While technology has brought many benefits, Kiel, along with many educators, is concerned about its potential negative effects on child development, particularly in terms of screen time. She believes that fostering open communication with children is essential to counteracting the impact of excessive screen use.
“It’s important to be proactive about managing screen time and to make space for simple, meaningful conversations — asking about their day, their lunch, what they did in PE. These small interactions are becoming lost in our modern society,” she said.
Kiel’s deep care for her students is evident in everything she does. Her dedication to creating a positive and supportive learning environment for her students is a testament to her commitment to the field of education.
Read the rest of this year’s Progress – Progress 2025.
