Kate Uggla-Gervais, or Ms. UG, is a third year teacher at Mill Creek. She is a Special Education teacher, with a focus on students with dyslexia. Uggle-Gervais went to the University of West Georgia for both her bachelors and masters degree.
She has a certificate in specialization for dyslexia from her undergraduate, Uggla-Gervais explained, “Dyslexia is a really complex disorder. One of four people have it, so it is also pretty common.” A kid that is in honors/gifted classes have different ways of navigating educational instruction. Uggla-Gervais teaches resource, which means smaller class sizes, she explains, “A lot of students who are in my class do have dyslexia, so having that extra knowledge about how to teach and approach my kids is helpful.”
Ever since a young age she wanted to be a teacher, “When I was little I wanted to be a teacher. Then as I got older, I kept thinking, ‘oh, I’m too stupid,” Uggla-Gervais continued, “That is truly how I felt. That I was too stupid to be a teacher. I thought no one would believe in me and that everyone would think I am stupid.” She carries herself as very outgoing and friendly, however has also felt like being outgoing has set her back, “I think when people look at me and the way I carry myself, they assume I am not educated. They make assumptions when they don’t even know you. I like being friendly, it is my favorite personality trait of mine.”
A former teacher of hers, Barbra Wilbanks, a Gwinnett County teacher, is who motivated her to pursue teaching, “We were the first class she ever had and on our last day of school she told us all these stories about her. I was amazed that this person who told me that I was a good writer, reader, and student carried all that emotional weight with her.”
Many people face stress when coming to a new high school, however she recommends to new students or teachers that connecting to one person is the best way to navigate a big school. Uggla-Gervais explained, “Mill Creek is so big, there are so many kids that go through the halls. My only thing is that you don’t need to connect with everybody. You just need to connect with one person. Whether that’s a lunch lady, a janitorial staff, a teacher, or a fellow student. If you have one person in your corner, then you’ll have an entire community.”
