Amber Elliott was nominated anonymously.
Ms. Elliott creates a strong and supportive classroom environment by focusing on building positive relationships, setting clear expectations, and fostering a deep sense of belonging. She prioritizes consistency and respect in all aspects of her teaching, ensuring that students know what to expect and feel secure in their learning space. Student voice is central to her approach. She actively listens to her students and encourages them to take ownership of their education. By cultivating a classroom culture where all students feel heard, valued, and empowered, she motivates them to take academic risks and engage deeply with their learning. Through these intentional practices, Ms. Elliott creates a safe, inclusive environment where every student can thrive.
My son is currently one of Mrs. Elliott’s students. Almost everyday, he has something positive to say about his experience with her in class that day. Hearing him get along and talking so positive about his teacher is a relief. It makes me happy knowing my son will have fond memories shared stemming from his time spent in her classes. He has excelled this year academically and I contribute that to his teachers! I have definitely noticed a difference this year and some days I don’t even have to ask him before he starts laughing and says “guess what happened today in Mrs.Elliott's class!” I am glad he feels comfortable and challenged academically in her classes. Thank you Mrs. Elliott!
Mrs. Elliott provided me with one of the most beneficial experiences as a young student teacher. Even after a decade of teaching in my classroom at another school district, I’m still implementing strategies she has taught me. These strategies are student-centered and very impactful. One day, I remember she was instructing the class to find a space for 20 minutes of silent reading time. I saw her reading a book during this time as well. I was thinking that she probably had so many other things to do like grade papers or work on planning. I asked her later why she was also reading during that time and she told me that she was intentionally modeling what she expected the students to do and that she especially wanted to model it for the students who don’t see their adults reading for pleasure at home. WOW!
My name is Audrey, and I am 22 years old. Miss Amber Elliott was my fifth grade teacher at Wilson Vance. In all honesty, Miss Elliot was so much more than a teacher to me. She was a role model, someone I could look up to. The impact that she made on myself and other students is remarkable. Fifth grade was a very difficult time for me. I was being picked on and had just lost my brother and my grandpa within a few months span. Miss Elliott went SO out of her way to make me feel loved and appreciated, and that is honestly something I will never forget. You meet a lot of teachers in your life time, but the special ones you always remember. That is Miss Elliott to me. She was so inspiring to me. So much so, that I wanted to impact future students the same way she impacted me. So I went to BGSU for Early Childhood Education. And here I am, a preschool teacher! I cannot imagine being someone’s “Miss Elliott” but i hope to someday become half the woman she is. Even now, working in education, and seeing the way that Miss Elliott is able to handle herself, is amazing! She is like a ray of sunshine! I remember when she went sooo out of her way for Christmas. We had our classroom decorated and we had an elf on the shelf that she moved every day! That elf was so loved that he even had online fan pages from our classmates! It was amazing. She is just truly special. You can tell that it is so much more than a job or a paycheck to her. I am unsure of what this process looks like, but if you get the chance to see Miss Elliott being the true life changer that she is, take it. Go to her classroom. See the way she radiates love and joy. You feel safe and loved the second you walk into the room. No matter what else is going on in your life, when you walk in that room, you know you are loved.
Hello Ms. Elliott! I know you as Miss Meeks from freshman year Algebra 2004! You were so funny and helpful. I always appreciated the time you took to spend with me after class. I was a hot mess then lol and always talking, sorry about that. Anyways, this is so well deserved for you and you are freaking awesome! -Tatiana
