Annette Foster - Alumni Coordinator

“Success isn’t about how much money you make, it’s about the difference you make in people’s lives.” - Michelle Obama

Annette Foster holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Education and an endorsement in Special Education from Creighton University in Omaha. She also has a Master of Science degree in Reading from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She has worked for the Omaha Public School system as an elementary and middle school teacher for 35 years until her retirement in the spring of 2014. Annette has taught undergraduate and graduate students, managed after school tutoring programs, designed and written various curriculum and programs and has been a member of numerous educational committees. Along with her daughter, Antoinette Davis, Annette is co-founder of Power of Words Literacy. Part of its mission is to encourage reading, so Power of Words co-hosts literacy fairs with various schools which include games, crafts and free books at no cost to participants.

Annette’s mission is to inspire her students to be the best they can be in all areas of their lives. She believes every student is unique and has a purpose. She encourages them to explore their talents and interests. She anticipates their needs and keeps them actively engaged in their own learning by using various assessments as tools followed by best practices in education. She believes educators teach more than subjects and concepts, they teach the whole person. She holds her scholars to high expectations and they know in no uncertain terms that she expects them to achieve. In response to why she is excited to teach the scholars at Nelson Mandela Elementary she states, “The reward in teaching is the satisfaction of knowing that I make a difference. When I teach, I have the joy of knowing that I was a part of inspiring a generation of teachers, doctors, lawyers, athletes and others. I may never see the end result of my teaching in a scholar's life, but I know that I’ve played a part in planting the seeds.”