Amanda Etheridge profiled as 2010 Teacher of the Year

AMANDA ETHERIDGE L.C. Teacher of the Year LCES Teacher of the Year Amanda Etheridge, "Teacher of the Year" at LCES, was named the system wide Teacher of the Year at the Lincoln County Board of Education's regular November meeting.

Other teachers honored during the special ceremony were Becky Rice, LCMS Teacher of the Year, and Louise Waters, Teacher of the Year at LCHS.

A profile of Etheridge appears below, with Rice and Waters to be featured in subsequent issues of The Lincoln Journal.

A native of Marietta Georgia, Amanda Etheridge holds a Bachelor of Science in early childhood education from Berry College in Rome and a master's degree in education from Southern Wesleyan University in North Augusta, South Carolina.

During her 10-year career as an educator, she has taught first grade at Ganus School in New Orleans, Louisiana; pre-kindergarten at the Country Campus Preschool in Marietta; and second grade at Birney Elementary School, also in Marietta. She currently teaches fifth-grade English, reading, and spelling at LCES.

"Representing LCES as the Teacher of the Year is very meaningful to me because I was awarded this honor by my peers," said Etheridge. "When I think about the caliber of teachers with whom I work, I am humbled to have been chosen."

In further remarks, she stated that being selected as the system-wide Teacher of the Year was certainly an honor she never expected.

Commenting on her decision to become an educator, the Lincoln County Teacher of the Year said, "Education was the only career path I seriously considered when making that important life choice.

"I enjoy teaching because it involves working with young people, and there are always new adventures! It is definitely a challenging responsibility, but the rewards far outweigh the challenges.

"It's those priceless moments when 10 and 11 year olds get excited because they were able to identify the object of the preposition or remember the difference between independent and dependent clauses that are the true rewards for teachers."

In addition to teaching, Etheridge is also a member of the Instructional Leadership Team at LCES, the Lincoln County Inclusion Advisory Committee, and PAGE (Professional Association of Georgia Educators).

Concerning community activities, the gifted educator is an active member of Double Branches Baptist Church, where she teaches a children's Bible study class on Wednesday nights, serves as a codirector for Vacation Bible School, sings in the choir, and volunteers with the youth.

In her spare time, Etheridge enjoys cooking, listening to music, and walking.

She and her husband, Keith, who is the pastor of Double Branches Baptist, have two children, Matt, a seventh grader at LCMS, and Alli, a fifthgrader at LCES.