Julie Mooney, an eighth grade English teacher at Picayune Junior High School, has been named Nissan of Picayune’s Teacher of the Week.

Mooney has been teaching for the past ten years, including three years at Picayune Junior High and seven years between Nicholson Elementary and Roseland Park Elementary.

“What I love most about teaching is the joy I feel when a student has that moment of complete clarity and makes the connections,” Mooney said.

As a teacher, she loves the personal relationships she forms with her students, and feels they are the reason she enjoys her job.

“I have been blessed to have the opportunity to teach a variety of age groups, and I enjoy the relationships I have with each and every one of my students,” Mooney said.

While in her class, she wants her students to learn that they are capable of wonderful things with their lives and for them to build an appreciation for literature by exploring different genres.

“If my students take nothing else from my classroom, I hope they take away the love I have for each of them,” Mooney said.

One thing her students may not know about Mooney is that she has a passion for decorating.

“If I wasn’t in education, I would love to be an interior designer.”