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Thanks to Teachers: Amanda Upton


Thanks to Teachers: Amanda Upton - WLOS
Thanks to Teachers: Amanda Upton - WLOS
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At Hendersonville Elementary School, first-grade teacher Amanda Upton is praised for meeting her students’ needs, including giving them a little extra time to stand up and move around.

'Letterland' is an activity that has students on their feet, coming and going to their desks, all while learning to read. Each student is given a letter or combination of letters. When Ms. Upton calls out a word, the kids with the assigned letters in that particular word gather at the front of the class while everyone sounds out the word.

"She’s a very nice person," says six-year-old Annabelle of her teacher. "I feel, like, excited, and ready for school," she adds when asked what goes through her mind each morning before class.

But, for Annabelle's classmate, the usual activities weren't quite enough. The active little boy did not learn well sitting down, so Ms. Upton and the school got him a standing desk.

His grateful Mom, Dionna Slick, also works at the school part-time.

"She’s really seen ways she can incorporate things into the classroom to help him learn more efficiently and channel that energy, and she does that for every student she has," Slick says of her decision to nominate Upton for 'Thanks to Teachers.'

The longtime elementary school teacher says she tries to give her students as much freedom as possible.

"I give them a lot of choice in the room," explains Upton. "They get to pick their seats or where they want to be, and, for the most part, they can pick who they want to be with."

Amanda Upton wasn't always sure she wanted to teach, but, someone who knew her better than she knew herself, did.

"I wasn’t sure what I wanted to major in, but I always worked with kids," recalls Upton. "I babysat. I worked at the YWCA in Wilmington when I was getting my undergrad in UNCW. And, my dad’s like, ‘I know what you want to do."

Upton's dad's 'great idea' turned into an eighteen-year teaching career.

"She just loves these kids and she respects these kids and listens to them, and it shows. Every day he comes home excited about what he’s learned," states Dionna Slick.

Does your child have an amazing teacher? Nominate them to be featured in our Thanks to Teachers segment, click HERE to nominate them!

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