Teaching second grade in Newton isn’t just a job for Brooklyn Dial; it’s the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. A Newton native and a proud member of the Class of 2020—the so-called “COVID year”—Dial knows firsthand what it means to lose milestones. She missed her senior spring, but she never lost sight of her bigger goal: becoming a teacher in the very district that shaped her.

Her path included student teaching in Dieterich, finishing her degree at Eastern Illinois University, and a full semester as a substitute in nearly every corner of Newton Elementary. That substitute role, she says, was invaluable: “I got to be everywhere—in classrooms, with aides, even in PE. By the time I started this year, my students already knew me.”

Those connections are what drive her. Dial believes that teaching second grade is about much more than academics. “You wear so many hats,” she says. “You’re their teacher, yes—but sometimes also their nurse, their therapist, their parent figure. You realize quickly how much they need you, and it’s about building relationships first. When kids know you care, they want to do well.”

That philosophy informs her classroom. Each morning begins with “morning meeting,” a chance to check in and hear from every child. She learns who is thriving, who is struggling, and who just needs a little encouragement. “I want to know who they are as people before I focus on academics,” she says. “Once you do that, everything else comes easier.”

Dial’s love for sports adds another dimension to her work. A standout in track and field during her own school years, she now serves as an assistant junior high track coach, learning from the very coach who once guided her. “Track was my thing,” she says. “Now I get to pass that along.”

Her enthusiasm for second grade, though, eclipses everything else. “This is where I want to be. If you put me in second grade, I’ll never leave,” she says without hesitation. “The kids are still so sweet. They’re excited to come to school, and you get to be the one shaping those early memories of learning.”

The support she’s received from colleagues has only reinforced her commitment. From Principal Jessica Guzman to her grade-level peers, Dial has felt welcomed and encouraged from day one. “Even in my interview, they made me feel at ease. They knew I was nervous, but it was just a conversation, and that’s carried through ever since. Everyone’s been so willing to help.”

Her personal life is unfolding alongside her career. Just weeks into the school year, she’ll marry her fiancé, an agriculture worker from Olney. Together, they’ll start their life as she builds her career in the community where she grew up. “I always wanted this,” she says. “And now I’m here, with my own classroom, in the district I love.”

If she could talk to her younger self—the sixth grader who once dreamed of becoming a teacher—her advice would be simple: keep going. “There were times I thought I couldn’t do it, even during student teaching. But now that I’m here, I know I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.”

For Jasper County, that means one more hometown graduate has come home—not just to teach lessons, but to live out one.