Her Story
About Emily
When I was in kindergarten, my teacher Ms. Kilgo made such an impact on me that even at that young age, I remember saying to myself, 'I want to be a teacher because I want to make other kids feel the way she made me feel.' She actually came to my parents' house and told them that if I stayed in my lower socioeconomic public school, I wasn't going to be challenged the way I should be, and she convinced them to pursue private education for me. Years later, I found her on Facebook and reached out, and she actually remembered me and that conversation with my parents. Now it's come full circle because I'm in public education. There's a part of me that has always remembered that, and I want to strive to be that person that she saw in me, even as an adult. She saw something in me, and I want to rise to do that. I'm now in my 19th year of teaching at American Renaissance. I like to create lessons that are going to be engaging, not just for the kids, but also look engaging, because a lot of the stuff that's provided for the schools is uninviting and I can't cater to my students with it. So I design my own curriculum following the standard course of study that we have for North Carolina. This year I have a student with dyslexia, so I downloaded the dyslexia font and everything that I make, I just make another copy and change the font, because it makes him successful and that's my whole job - to keep my students as successful as possible. I also love cute things, so my classroom is pink and glitter, and it's inviting. I have parents come in all the time saying how some classrooms look sad, but mine has a lot of color and kids want to be here.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Emily
01What do you attribute your success to?
Jesus!! He's the only reason I have what I have and I want to give Him all the glory!!
02What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
There is so much rigor and expectations in education right now that wasn't there when I first started teaching. The rigor is fast, and there's so much focus on end-of-grade tests - one test, one time, in one moment of the year. I send home a letter to my parents right before the end-of-grade test telling them that this test does not define what kind of athlete you are, it does not echo the kindness in your heart towards others. I don't want parents to get extra pressure on the kids, but how these kids perform determines everything according to my state. I don't want to push them, but you want them to perform. It's such a difficult time. We need those Ms. Kilgos, we need these kids to feel loved, because there's so many kids that do not get love at home and do not hear uplifting things about themselves.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I feel it's important that students know that I'm also human. I want to build bonds with them. I share things about my life and my family and things that we go through, and vice versa, I want to sit and listen to hear them, because it's important to be heard and it doesn't matter your age. I want students to feel loved and successful. An end-of-grade test does not define a student - it doesn't define what kind of athlete you are or the kindness in your heart towards others. My whole job is to keep kids as successful as possible. In my personal life, I love just spending time with my three beautiful kids, snuggling and cuddling. I'm their safe person and they're my people. The Lord has definitely taught us some things through our journey with two of them being born with cleft lip and palate, and just seeing their transformation has been incredible.
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