Friday Feature: Ms. Amanda Garner, third-grade teacher

"I love the energy the students bring and their excitement and desire to learn. I am able to share knowledge with them and expose them to new or different ideas, be there to support them in their life celebrations and even in challenging times...and vice versa. Learning takes place in all shapes, forms, and sizes - everywhere and anywhere!"
Ms. Amanda Garner is one of the third-grade teachers in the Evelyne Sheats Lower School. Ms. Garner’s classroom’s bright colors, inspiring art, and her class pet, Marshmallow the Hamster, are reflections of Ms. Garner herself; she is known for being creative, warm, and for lovingly investing in her students. Ms. Garner grew up in the northeast after having been adopted from Seoul, South Korea. She now lives in Franklin, NC with her husband, Paul, and their son, Hudson ‘31, who attends kindergarten in the Lower School. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Development and Education K-6 from Milligan College in Johnson City, TN, and has seven years of teaching experience. This is her second year here at Rabun Gap.
 
What made you choose to work at Rabun Gap?
I had become friends with Renee Rogers, the current Head of the Lower School, and she asked me to teach her fifth grade class while she took maternity leave. I was currently staying at home with our son and worked at our church part-time, overseeing the kid’s ministry. I had been home with our son for almost four years, so it was a great opportunity to ease my way back into teaching and see if Rabun Gap was a good fit. At that time, the opening of the Lower School also became official, and I was hired to teach at the Lower School the following school year.
 
Why did you decide to become a teacher? 
I was planning on going to culinary school in New York City to become a pastry chef, which is laughable now because I never cook. I have always enjoyed being around children. I went on a missions trip to Ecuador with other high schoolers from around the country the summer before my senior year of high school. We spent a lot of time working with children, so it was there that I officially decided I wanted to go into education.
 
What is your teaching philosophy? 
When students feel safe and have a sense of belonging, learning is able to occur. When I think back to my younger years in school and what I remember, I think about field trips, hands on experiments, and engaging activities. Those are the experiences that connect students to the content and make their learning memorable and personal. I have high expectations of and for my students, but I always try to present the information to them in a meaningful and interesting way. Both the students and the teacher need to set goals for learning and be held accountable for them. Relationships with your students are vital. One of the quotes that I do my best to model my classroom by is from Dave Burgess: “Provide an uncommon experience for your students and they will reward you with an uncommon effort and attitude.”
 
What were you like in elementary school?
I was a rule follower and I enjoyed school. I have fond memories of my elementary school teachers and experiences.
 
What inspires you? 
I am inspired by ordinary people who step up to do extraordinary things for others.
 
What interests do you pursue outside of the classroom?  
My family enjoys traveling together and we spend a lot of time with friends and family.
 
What are you known for? 
I am known for being a wife, mother, and teacher. I hope I am known for being considerate, hospitable, compassionate and someone who does her best to show that God is within her.
 
What makes Rabun Gap special?
Rabun Gap is so special and I am incredibly grateful to be a part of this community as a teacher and as a parent of a student. Rabun Gap provides an opportunity for students to be exposed to many different facets all at once-the arts, athletics, academics, and relationships within a diverse community in a beautiful little corner of the world.
 
What’s the most interesting thing about you that we wouldn’t learn from your resume alone? 
In college, I traveled all over Europe from England to Greece for a humanities course in less than thirty days. I’m patiently waiting for our son to be old enough so we can do the same with him!
 
What do you like about being an elementary teacher?
There is just something about the hustle and bustle of an elementary school that is hard to explain...and that I love! Parents entrust you each day with their most prized possessions. I love the energy the students bring and their excitement and desire to learn. I am able to share knowledge with them and expose them to new or different ideas, be there to support them in their life celebrations and even in challenging times...and vice versa. Learning takes place in all shapes, forms, and sizes-everywhere and anywhere!
 
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Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School is a private, coeducational day and boarding school for grades Pre-K through 12. Centrally located between Atlanta, GA, Greenville, SC, and Asheville, NC, we prepare young people for college, career, and a lifetime of leadership and service.