Oconee County Teacher of the Year finds success by building relationships with students

Editor's note: This story initially noted an incorrect school. Amy Nix teaches at Colham Ferry Elementary School.

For Amy Nix, education has been more than a vocation. It’s also been a long-held family value.

Nix, Oconee County Schools’ Teacher of the Year for 2023-24, understood the importance of academics at a young age and as a result has pursued both teaching and learning throughout her life.

“My mom played a huge part,” said Nix, who teaches fifth grade English and language arts at Colham Ferry Elementary School. “She would record books for us that we would listen to on tape way back in the day. And she would even say, ‘OK, Amy, turn the page’ on the recording, which was really special.

“Learning was always a part of our home. We played school and my mom was involved, always looking for a learning moment. We loved the praise of a teacher and my parents loved learning.”

Education has turned into sort of a family business for Nix, as her older sister Laura Rogers also teaches fifth grade at Colham Ferry and her younger sister Emily Nix is a technology support technician for the school district.

When she learned she had been named the district’s Teacher of Year, Nix said she was both surprised and honored.

“It was an honor to represent my school and I was certainly not expecting to be named district Teacher of the Year with the amazing teachers are within the district,” said Nix, who has taught at Colham Ferry since 2018 and attended the school as a youngster.

“Ms. Nix recognizes the uniqueness of each child,” said Colham Ferry Principal Katherine Brown in a news release. “She pours her heart into planning instruction for her students. Her passion for education and compassion for others make a positive impact on both the adults and kids in the school each day.”

The Georgia Teacher of the Year will be announced next spring.

Nix, who earned degrees from Georgia College and State University and Kennesaw State University, said the key to her teaching philosophy is building relationships with her students, both during and after school hours.

“As a brand-new teacher, you’re trying to feel things out and making your own teaching philosophy besides what you were taught in college or what you’ve seen from other teachers,” she said. “It took a few years for me to realize how important relationships are in the classroom and how meaningful it is to the learning process.

“You know the student on a relational level instead of just a name on the list or a number in the classroom. Me knowing them and the students knowing a little about me has changed the way my entire classroom works.”

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Suffice to say, Nix’s teaching environment is quite active. She describes it as, “We move a lot in the classroom.”

“It’s an inquisitive place. There’s a lot of questions being asked, a lot of deep thinking that happens,” she said. “And a lot of times I’m asked a question and I don’t know the answer, so we’ll research that. We’re constantly investigating, or writing or researching or reading, so there’s a lot of movement. And it’s not quiet in here. Learning is never quiet and it shouldn’t be.”

Nix, who taught in Barrow and Clayton counties before returning to her Oconee County roots, keeps plenty busy outside of the classroom with the many extracurricular roles she’s taken, including serving as a curriculum writer for the state, serving on the school district’s Social Studies Action Team, leading Colham Ferry’s Literacy Team and working as co-director for Camp Invention, held during the summers at her school.

“Everything that I do is just to help me grow as a teacher or to share my ideas,” she said. “It’s all about making myself a better teacher and reaching my students better.”

Although there may be a day that she moves on to share her talents on the district or state level, Nix said she’s exceedingly happy in her Colham Ferry classroom.

“I think I’ve definitely found my niche,” she said. “I love where I am and I’m comfortable. I feel I’m thriving and I love the people I work with. Whether or not there’s another door that opens in the future, who knows? I love the curriculum side of things, so that could be a possibility in the future, but I’m very happy and blessed to be where I am right now.”

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Amy Nix named Oconee County Teacher of the Year