LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Amy Styles was nominated by Kelly Follis, her colleague.

"Amy has recently won 'Teacher of the Year,' and it is no surprise why," said Follis. "She is an amazing teacher; you can feel her heart for her students whenever you are near her. She builds relationships with her students and teaches them to do the same. She reaches into the family and helps to equip family members as well!"

Ms. Styles is a first-grade teacher at McQueeney Elementary with 23 years of teaching experience in Colorado and the Houston area. She believes in the importance of teaching the whole child and employs this belief in her lesson planning. This philosophy drives her desire to really know her students and to consider their background, along with their academic, social, and emotional needs.

She takes the "TEAM" approach in her classroom. This acronym is a promise between Ms. Styles and each student and is affirmed with her students daily:

• T – we stick Together
• E – we encourage Each other
• A – we Always do our best
• M – we Make good choices

"Amy focuses on building relationships, not only with her students, but their parents," explains Follis. "She works to help parents understand the best ways to help their children at home. She believes that parents and teachers working together can bring great results."

Ms. Styles thinks through every lesson plan she teaches and takes the needs of her students into careful consideration. She is strategic and intentional in her lessons. Ms. Styles takes time to understand her students' academic, social, and emotional needs while planning her instruction. Ms. Styles has used the students' personal life experiences to show them that she learns from them, just like they learn from her. For example, one of the books she chose as a lesson was "Round is a Tortilla." Many of her students have experienced helping a family member prepare homemade tortillas, and they have been very excited to share their experiences in the classroom.

"The students were more than willing to help Ms. Styles with her pronunciation of a few of the Spanish words in the book (giggles may have been heard)," said Follis.

Ms. Styles and her students could make connections while celebrating Mexican culture through everyone's love of tortillas. The students and Ms. Styles chose to wrap up the lesson with hot tortillas and melted butter! It was a huge success, and it taught the children that they are teachers too! 

Another example of how she has made a difference in her students' lives is by using the book "Martin's Big Words." She used this book as a lesson during a week with several instances of students struggling to work and play together peacefully. The text allowed the students to easily explore and discuss their actions and treatment of others. In the text, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. thinks about the sayings his parents said to him as a child: "You are as good as everyone!" and "Everyone can be great!". Ms. Styles led a discussion with the students about the thoughts and actions of someone who is great. The class promise of "We are a TEAM" was also brought into the lesson.

"As you can see, Amy works hard each day to present lessons that address the needs of all students. She uses the lessons to positively impact the culture of her classroom," said Follis. "When students enter the classroom each morning, she has empathy for what they may be experiencing back home, but she also has high expectations of them. She instills in them the powerful belief that they have the right to chase and achieve their dreams!"

"An emphasis on relationships best describes and drives who Amy is as a teacher and a person," explains Follis. "From the first day of a new school year to the last, her students know that their teacher loves and cares for them above everything else. She tells students regularly that she will always expect great things from them because she loves them."

Ms. Styles doesn't stop in the classroom. She has started a program to empower parents called "Reading in First is Fun." A parent brought a need to her, and Ms. Styles knew she had to do something to help. This parent desperately wanted to help their children with their reading skills at home but did not feel equipped. For Parent/Teacher Conferences in March of this year, she met with several parents individually and modeled the daily phonics instruction that she teaches in class. The modeling involved sharing knowledge of decoding skills, such as recognizing syllable types when decoding words. This method allows parents to reinforce learning and increase growth when sitting with their children. She included a classroom decodable reader. Students add four classroom decodable readers to their backpack book bags each week. In-class instruction and interactive practice for each decodable are provided before they are added to book bags for reading at home. Near the end of one of the conferences, a parent asked her if she had ever considered teaching a class for parents. The parent said they listen to their child read but don't always know how to instruct or guide them when misreading a word. This anecdote is how "Reading in First is Fun" found its beginning. 

The project is still a work in progress but will include students and parents. Only great things can come from teachers and parents working together! Students who take control of their learning with their teachers' and families' support are on the path to success.

"Amy is not only changing the lives of her students, but those of their families and the community," explains Follis.