Influential Woman · Education
Amber Hinkle
NEA, KEA
Department lead of the special education department, Teacher grades 5-8, Yellow Creek School Center
Middlesboro, KY
Her Story
About Amber
Amber Hinkle has spent 22 years in the education field, where she currently serves as the department lead of the special education department at Yellow Creek School Center in a K-8 school setting. She specializes in teaching grades 5 through 8 and works with students with special needs. Hinkle earned her Bachelor's of Arts in History at Alice Lloyd College in 2004, followed by a Master's in special education at Union College in 2007 and a Rank 1 degree in Curriculum and Instruction at Union College in 2008. She is a member of the NEA and KEA, a graduate of the George Washington Teacher Institute, part of the Go Teach Kentucky Ambassador Program, and serves on the Kentucky Teacher Advisory Council. Additionally, she is a Canvassador for Canva, a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and a Kentucky Colonel. Hinkle attributes her success to hard work and showing up every day for her students, with her priority being to ensure they have what they need to succeed. She is involved in volunteering efforts such as the Mission giveaway from Knoxville for Thanksgiving and Christmas and leads Read Across America Week at her school. Her core values include putting God first, followed by family and then her job, with a desire to leave the world in a better place than she found it.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Amber
01What do you attribute your success to?
Just hard work and showing up every day for these kids. My priority is to make sure my kids have what they need to be successful. I'm not one to take a whole lot of time off of work.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Take it one day at a time, one stride at a time. If you have questions, ask. The only way that you can learn is by asking questions. Take that step forward, take that leap of faith, and God will put out the footsteps for you.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Just take it one day at a time. Things are not always easy in this field. We are often looked down on this profession... but I don't look at the money side of it, I look at what good can I do? What good can I leave behind to influence people to go into this field or make our children feel loved and appreciated?
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge right now is to retain teachers... The biggest opportunity is the growth that you can be as an individual. There are so many resources out there for teachers nowadays... don't be afraid. There's a plethora of things for people to do.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
My first value of importance is God, put God first in everything, and then I put my family first, and then my job comes after that. I want to leave the world in a better place than what I found it.
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