Claire Thomas has had a love for teaching since she was a young girl. She spent her summers in high school working with children in various places.  This led her to pursue a major in elementary education at Auburn University.  As soon as Claire graduated from college, she began her teaching career.  She completed her master's in Elementary Education at UAB at night as she was teaching.  Claire spent ten years teaching in the Birmingham area as well as in Fairhope Alabama.  Her experiences include 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades as well as time in the Reading Coach position. 

After the birth of her second child, Claire decided to devote her days cultivating the development of her children.  During her time with the family, she served on the board at her children's preschool as the chair and was a board member at The Dance Foundation.  She served as President of Children's Arts Guild and volunteered for numerous community organizations including The Exceptional Foundation, Preschool Partners, and Restoration Academy. 

This will be her tenth year as a parent at Crestline Elementary. She is married to John and together they have three children.  Currently, she has a 4th grader at Crestline Elementary and an 8th and 9th grader at Mountain Brook Junior High School.  She was thrilled to reenter the classroom three and half years ago at Brookwood Forest Elemenary in 1st and 2nd grades.  She is extremely excited to begin her second year as a 1st grade teacher at Crestline.

Claire loves to learn and make learning fun for her students.  Working with children is her passion.  In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, walking with friends, traveling, cooking, and relaxing with a good book.  She is looking forward to an incredible year.