A PIONEER IN EDUCATION: GES teacher Sheryl Lawson receives prestigious Missouri education award

To be clear, Sheryl Lawson wishes the Times wouldn't publish this story. Or, if she had her second choice, the story about her would be "on the last page, down at the bottom, about 6 inches long," she said. 

She appreciates being honored with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Second Education's Pioneers in Education Award at last week's 64th Annual Cooperative Conference for School Administrators at Lake Ozark. But having her story in the newspaper, or standing on stage before 600 people for a high-honor presentation ceremony "just isn't anything I want," she said. "I do not enjoy the limelight. I'd prefer to remain in the shadows."

About the only time Sheryl enjoys standing in front of people and calling attention to herself is when she's teaching a class of fifth graders at Gainesville Elementary School. That's the audience she values.

The simple fact is, Sheryl loves teaching, something she's done for going on 48 years now. And since she was just given an award that's considered by many to be the most prestigious honor a Missouri educator can earn, it's pretty clear she's good at it. 

Sheryl was one of six honorees at the July 28 Pioneers in Education Award presentation. Four of the award recipients had impressive credentials that included serving for many years as respected teachers, administrators or school board members in districts around the state. One of Sheryl's fellow honorees had already earned notable statewide recognition. Perhaps you've heard of him? Former Missouri Gov. Michael L. Parson. 

Honored alongside the governor and the other award recipients, Sheryl was the only one of the six who had devoted her entire career to classroom teaching. At GES, she also maintains the district's website, gainesvillebulldogs.com, and organizes Missouri Assessment Program [MAP] test results, but her focus continues to be teaching those fifth graders. She believes that's where she can have the most positive impact on the future – by stressing the importance of good character and helping her students "become the best version of themselves possible," she said in her DESE award summary.

"You have them for nine months, and you hope the next time you see them, they're doing wonderful things," she said. 

That's why the day each spring when the youngest students line the halls to congratulate the graduating seniors as they walk through the elementary school wearing their caps and gowns is "always a tearjerker" for Sheryl. She sheds a few happy tears seeing her former fifth graders setting off into their next chapter of "doing wonderful things."

'You are going to college'

Sheryl, the oldest of H.K. and Judy Silvey's four children, "always wanted to be a teacher." Neither of her parents had college degrees, but their children grew up knowing they were expected to continue their education after high school. "I never felt I had a choice," she said. "It was always understood: You are going to college."

Sheryl's dad, H.K., is a well-known Ozark County native, a descendant of the intrepid Ozarks pioneer Cynthia Silvey who, defying all customs and expectations, never married but raised four children on her own and homesteaded 160 acres by herself. The original homestead and the patent certificate are still owned by a Silvey family member. Having that kind of lineage surely motivates descendants to conquer challenges. 

H.K. grew up on a family farm close to Longrun and graduated from Gainesville High School in 1952. He then began a career in aircraft manufacturing in Wichita, Kansas, where he met and married Judy Ford, an Arkansan who was working there as a telephone operator and living with some Ozark County girls. 

Sheryl was born in Wichita but started school in Slidell, Louisiana, where her family moved when H.K.'s original job with Boeing evolved into high-tech Martin-Marietta work that made him part of the team that put Neil Armstrong on the moon in 1969. 

Sheryl said she "didn't truly realize the impact of everything Dad was in – what his job was about" until later, after H.K. moved his family back home to the Longrun area. Moving to the remote area was an adjustment for Sheryl, who had always been a "city kid," she said. School helped her adapt after she enrolled as a junior in GHS. She always loved school, she said, and that love sparked her dream of becoming a teacher.

She grew up as a natural nurturer. Several years separated Sheryl and her sister, Elaine (Burnett), from their younger brothers, Doug and Bryan, and Sheryl said she especially considered Bryan, a full 10 years younger than Sheryl, as "my kid." 

Sheryl graduated from GHS in 1975 and headed to what is now College of the Ozarks "right after our senior trip," she said. 

Her first year of college was a disappointment – except for a few weekend trips home, riding with Roger Lawson in his 1968 Rambler. Although Roger, the son of Bonnie and Leonard Lawson, had grown up in Thornfield, he and Sheryl didn't meet until both were at C of O. 

Shortly after Roger graduated in 1976, they were married in the General Baptist Church at Noble. Sheryl's mother, grandmothers and her aunt, the late Jean Silvey Herd, had taught her to sew as a child, and Sheryl made her own beautiful wedding dress as well as the dresses for her mother, bridesmaid-sister Elaine and the flower girl – plus jackets for her little brothers. 

After the wedding, she and Roger settled in West Plains, where Roger was closer to his teaching job in the Mountain View-Birch Tree District. Sheryl thought she was finished with college and was hired at "the Lab" (now Baxter Healthcare, a manufacturing facility in Mountain Home, Arkansas). But that real-life learning experience lasted only three days.

"I made it through two days of orientation," she said, "but then they put me on the belt." The assembly line work made her physically ill. In fact, she said, "I even needed someone to take me home."

She made a beeline back to college, enrolling at what is now Missouri State University at West Plains. In 1978, she earned her bachelor's degree after completing her student teaching under Gainesville teacher Judy Turner. 

Sheryl and Judy, who retired several years ago, are still friends today. "We struck it off right away," Judy said recently. "You could see early on that Sheryl was going to be a great teacher. She was always so well organized and well prepared. She was always fair, but she expected her students to do what she asked them to do. And she just loved them all." 

With credentials in hand, Sheryl began teaching a combined fifth- and sixth-grade class in the Mountain View-Birch Tree district, joining Roger there. She continued taking college classes, though, and earned a master's degree from MSU in 1980. 

Coming home to Ozark County

In 1981, Sheryl's dad called her and Roger with a proposal: the farm next door to his at Longrun had come up for sale. He suggested they buy it, move home and join him in operating a Grade A dairy. And they did.

It was a good living but very hard work. She and Roger shared the milk barn and equipment with their dad but had their own cows. At the same time, Sheryl was hired by the Lutie School District to teach half-day kindergarten and a combined fifth-sixth grade class in the afternoon. 

That meant she and Roger would get up each day around 4 a.m., ride their four-wheeler to the milk barn, bring in their 40 cows and milk as quickly as they could so they could be finished by around 6 a.m., when H.K. arrived to milk his own cows. Sheryl would then rush home, shower and leave for school. When her dad finished milking, he left for his job as a road grader operator for the county while Roger managed the farm. In the afternoons, they all repeated the process. 

The jointly operated dairy was a success that continued for 10 full years, even when Sheryl accepted a teaching job at farther-away Gainesville in 1982. After they stopped milking in 1991, Roger continued to run a beef cattle operation on their farm. 

H.K., who turns 92 on Sept. 10, is now fully retired from aerospace work, farming and fiddle playing, a talent that earned him accolades for decades in places far and near. Judy Silvey died in 2014.

At Gainesville, Sheryl taught fifth grade, working alongside her "wonderful mentor" Judy Turner while thriving on the solid support from fellow teachers June Turner Hicks (Judy's sister) and Kathy Blackburn Snell. 

"They took me under their wings and took care of me," Sheryl said. 

She probably needed a little extra TLC that first year at GES – when she faced a classroom of 33 fifth graders!

That large class size was an exception, but it wasn't the only one. "One year we had 40 kids in each [fifth-grade] classroom," Judy Turner said. "About all you got done was discipline!"

A third fifth-grade teacher was eventually hired that year. After that, "once in a while, we'd have 37 or so," Judy said, acknowledging that the district didn't always have funds for hiring additional teachers. (These days, the school tries to keep class size at 25 or fewer.)

That was before the Gainesville Elementary School moved into its present building that stands south of the high school off Highway 160. The old building on what is now Elm Street wasn't air conditioned, and jam-packed classrooms turned into ovens each year when school started in August. "We had fans, fans, fans," Sheryl said. "I honestly don't know how we survived." The Parent-Teacher Organization bought room air conditioners for their classrooms, she said, "but they froze up most of the time because they had to work so hard."

Moving into the new elementary building in 1996 was a "fun time," said Sheryl, who starts her 30th year of teaching in that building later this month.

Adapting to changes

Sheryl loves teaching, and her favorite thing is teaching fifth graders. "You don't have to tie their shoes or wipe noses," she said. "Fifth-graders love to have fun, but when there's something to be discussed, they can be like little adults."

When she started teaching fifth grade, she taught all the traditional subjects. "Now we do a lot of departmentalizing," she said. "For the last few years, I've taught mostly reading and language arts."

Sheryl has been a leader in incorporating technology into her classes. Gainesville superintendent Justin Gilmore, in his letter to DESE nominating Sheryl for the Pioneers in Education Award, wrote, "Long before technology became a cornerstone of education, she was already integrating it into her lessons to spark curiosity and innovation in her students."

When computers were first introduced at GES, "we had a few for the whole school. Kids got to use them in computer class," Sheryl said. "Then we had three or four computers in each room – big, old, dinosaurs. Then we had a few Chromebooks (laptop personal computers) but had to share them with other classes."

Now, each student has access to a Chromebook, "and there are some really good programs out there that make learning fun in a challenging sort of way," she said. "Lessons can be individualized, and I can monitor them and see who needs help and who doesn't. One of the programs we're using now lets kids choose to work as hard as they want to. It says 70 percent is mastery, but the students say no. They want to make 100 percent."

She's not as enthusiastic about the cell phones some of her students bring to school. "They're supposed to leave them in the office, but every once in a while, you hear one ringing in someone's backpack," she said.

In addition to teaching, Sheryl has mentored several other new teachers, passing along the same kind of wisdom and encouragement her mentors gave her. Brandi Snell Miller, one of the teachers she mentored, is the daughter of Kathy Blackburn Snell, one of the teachers who mentored Sheryl. 

Now the preschool coordinator and teacher, Brandi did her student teaching under Sheryl, and they both have continued to teach at GES since then. 

"I use strategies and techniques to this day, 25 years later, that I learned from Sheryl. She had a positive impact on our lives in so many ways," Brandi said, adding that the way Sheryl "has adapted to changes in education over the years, continuing to be an excellent instructor and efficient with the latest technology, is commendable. Not one to be in the limelight, she quietly gives back to our district and community without seeking recognition. She is a true Pioneer in Education!" 

Brandi noted that Sheryl taught at GES with her mother, Kathy Snell, for more than 20 years before Kathy retired. She also added that both she and her husband, Larry, and all three of their children are Sheryl's former students. 

Creating classroom sanctuaries

Sheryl loves to connect with each student's personality, and she enjoys seeing reluctant students open up as they gain confidence. She recalls one boy who "didn't like school. Even getting out of the car to come into school was hard for him. Sometimes he would get physically ill," she said. "I tried to touch base with him every morning and encourage him. I'd say, 'It's going to be okay. Look, we're all here with you, and it's going to be all right.' And usually, he would get halfway through the day and realize it's not so bad."

She's also aware that some children come from difficult circumstances. "Sometimes I think about my own growing-up experiences, and I have to remember that some of these kids don't have that. Some of them have very tough situations that they're dealing with," she said. "Sometimes I think school is their happy place."

It's that kind of heartfelt connection that confirms what Gilmore wrote in his nomination letter: "Sheryl's classrooms were more than places of learning – they were sanctuaries where every child felt seen, heard and valued. . . . Over the past five decades, she has poured her heart and soul into creating learning environments where every student feels valued and empowered to succeed."

Sheryl has found sanctuary and encouragement in that fifth-grade classroom herself as she fought two rounds of cancer. Judy Turner came out of retirement to substitute for her after the first diagnosis and suggested that the students make cards to send to Sheryl, who gratefully absorbed the messages they sent. "Some would write, 'Jesus loves you,'" Sheryl said. 

When she was able to return, Sheryl found that being back in the classroom "was one of the best medicines in the whole world. The kids were so good to me," she said. "It healed me, them loving on me and hugging on me." 

'Way too much goodness'

Gilmore tried to nominate Sheryl for DESE's Pioneers in Education Award last year, but she cut him off and told DESE she wasn't interested in any awards. Determined, Gilmore submitted her name again this year and managed to get the nomination submitted before she could say no. 

Being publicity averse and spotlight shy, Sheryl was both honored and horrified when she learned she was selected as a recipient of the 2025 Pioneer Award. The notice from DESE told her the award would be presented at a celebratory luncheon on July 28 in Lake Ozark during the annual school administrators conference, and she needed to make reservations in advance.

"It says there are tables, and I can invite someone, so I'm inviting you," she told Gilmore grimly. 

"But don't you want to invite--" Gilmore tried to suggest including family and friends.

'NO!" Sheryl replied. "I don’t want to inconvenience anyone. It’s too far away, and it’s on a weekday. I'll get my little certificate, and that's all I need."

Undeterred, Gilmore took matters in his own hands. He invited Sheryl to dinner at Lake Ozark on Sunday night before the Monday luncheon and sent her a map link and photo of the restaurant. Sheryl thought Gilmore would bring his wife, Chelsea, a GHS teacher, and maybe their kids, and she was hoping for a casual "burger place." But when she arrived at the restaurant, a hostess took her name and led her to a private area with a table set up for several diners.

"Whoop! I'm in the wrong place," she told the hostess. She returned to the restaurant entrance and had sat down to text Gilmore for clearer directions to the correct restaurant when he walked in – with the other Gainesville administrators and several members of the Gainesville Board of Education.  

Sheryl was shocked but appreciated seeing the familiar faces. "It was very nice, very informal," she said. "I guess they knew I was anxious, and they helped put me at ease."

Joining the Gainesville group was Jeff Hyatt, who had worked with Sheryl when he was principal at Gainesville 2000-2003 and superintendent 2017-2020. Now retired, Hyatt's presence was a poignant reminder of Sheryl's brother Bryan, who had become best friends with Hyatt while they were C of O students. 

Bryan graduated from GHS in 1986, 11 years after Sheryl graduated. Like Sheryl, he earned a degree in education and went directly into teaching. Then, after earning advanced degrees, he went into school administration. Sheryl was a GES faculty member when Bryan was superintendent at Gainesville from 1998 to 2000 and, at age 29, was recognized as the youngest public school superintendent in Missouri.

He was in his second year as superintendent at St. Clair, Missouri, when, tragically, at age 33, Bryan died in a car crash on a rain-slick I-44 in July 2001. He had been on his way to a get-together with Hyatt and other friends when he died. 

After the Sunday night dinner, the Gainesville group spent the night in a Lake Ozark hotel. Sheryl braced herself Monday morning for the dreaded awards ceremony. As usual, she arrived early and then waited alone in a quiet corner before heading into the meeting hall. 

"When I got to the top of the stairs, someone hollered my name," she said. "It was my family." Alerted by Gilmore, her brother Doug Silvey of Highlandville and sister Elaine Burnett and husband David of Theodosia had come for the presentation. The Burnetts brought their son Justin and his wife Cheryl and their two kids, Cade and Jenna. 

The next familiar face Sheryl saw was Missouri Commissioner of Education Karla Eslinger, her friend and former GHS schoolmate from Wasola. Knowing how close Sheryl had been to Bryan, Karla told her about a time she and Bryan had attended a meeting of administrators when they were both superintendents. Karla had nudged Bryan and nodded toward a man who had come into the room. 

"Who's that guy?" Karla had asked Bryan.

"That's the commissioner of education," Bryan told her. "That's what I'm going to be someday, the youngest commissioner of education in history."

Bryan died before he could fulfill his dream, but there was Karla, his fellow Ozark Countian, now serving in that role and delighted to present the coveted award to Sheryl.

Sheryl's fan club filled two big tables at the luncheon. When it was her turn to be called to the stage, Karla acknowledged the large contingent of her and Sheryl's fellow Ozark Countians. "Everybody in the whole room stood up and clapped," Gilmore said.

Sheryl looked out over the audience and saw the smiling faces of other administrators she had known or worked with through the years, including Amy Padgett and Stephanie Guffey from Bakersfield, and former Gainesville principals Mike Henry (now superintendent at Marshfield) and Aaron Dalton (now superintendent at Ava).

"It was all extremely nice – just way too much goodness focused on me," Sheryl said.

Sheryl's legacy 

She's honored by the award but glad the hoopla is over. And she's happily looking forward to being back in the classroom and launching a new class of fifth-graders on Aug. 18. 

As usual on that first day, she'll enjoy getting to know her students and discover if any of them are the children, or even the grandchildren, of her former students. It's a pleasant and familiar process. Trevor Hicks, Gainesville's junior high and high school assistant principal, is her former student, and so are five of the seven current school board members – Mason Eslinger, Jabet Morgan Wade, Jeffrey Lane, Dakota Nash and Sally Ledbetter Hambelton – and their children. The other two board members (Corey Hillhouse and Marti Kyle Warden) were never her students – but their children were. 

With nearly a half-century of teaching experience, Sheryl has thought about retiring. In fact, she tried it once. It's probably one of the few things she ever failed at. 

Her timing was off. She chose to retire (with little fanfare, just the way she likes it) at the end of the 2020-21 school year, when Missouri was facing a severe shortage of certified teachers. (It still is.) She enjoyed a good six weeks of life as a full-time farm wife. Then Gilmore called. He couldn't find a teacher to take her place, and Missouri law now allows retired teachers to return to work. Would she come back?

That was four years ago. Since then, she's returned to GES each fall to help a new class of fifth-graders become "the best versions of themselves possible." 

As far as retirement goes, she's "taking it a year at a time" and hoping someone will take her aside and tell her when it's time to leave. She has asked her niece, fellow fifth-grade teacher Stacy Garrison, to "tell me if I'm failing." She's also urged Gilmore to "buck up and tell me when it's time for me to go."

Whenever she does leave, Sheryl hopes to be remembered "simply as a dedicated, hard-working teacher who wanted to bring out the best in each student, genuinely cared for her students, loved teaching and was never quite ready to step away from the classroom."

For now, too many people, young and old, are still counting on her. She has never had kids of her own, but she considers the hundreds of students she has taught as her own children. They will be her legacy, Gilmore noted in his nomination letter, adding that Sheryl's impact will continue "in the lives she has transformed, the hope she has instilled and the example she has set for generations to come."