LAKELAND, Fla. — Each Tuesday morning, Spectrum Bay News 9 features an A+ Teacher who is inspiring and leading students across the Tampa Bay. 

Our A+ Teacher this week is Ahlia Moore from Socrum Elementary School in Lakeland. 

Moore helps her students lay a strong foundation for their future academic endeavors and goes above and beyond to be there for them when they need some encouragement. 

Moore has taught at Socrum Elementary School for seven years where she’s a Reading Intervention Specialist.

“I’m all things reading at Socrum Elementary from K to 5. We have our guided reading small groups that we do, so I pull small groups, I work with teachers, I do interventions, anything that the students and the teachers need for reading, that’s me, I’ve got em’,” she said.

Moore’s enthusiasm is contagious, and she says she comes to work excited every day, living out her childhood dreams. “It’s been a passion of mine since I was a kid. I’ve always known that I love to be in school. I love learning, and I believe that school is the start. This is where you lay the foundation.” 

You’ll find positive messages all around Moore’s classroom, encouraging her students to give it their all, dream big, and do their best — also reminders for herself.

“The encouraging messages I put up are just little affirmations to let them know that you can do it. Adversity is with everybody. Adversity comes, things get hard, it’s challenging, but you can do it, no matter what,” she said.

Through her own perseverance and strong faith, Moore says she’ll continue planting the seeds in our future generation, letting them know they’re capable of achieving anything they set their minds to. 

Moore will graduate with her master’s degree in September and plans on pursuing her doctoral degree.