Staff Spotlight: Mrs. Carter
This month, our staff spotlight will be dedicated to Mrs. Carter, to whom we are sadly wishing farewell. Mrs. Carter taught Theater, Journalism, English II, and English IV here at Oliver Springs High School. She grew up in upstate New York - a rural area nestled close to the American-Canadian border - until 2006, when she made the long move to Florida in order to begin her teaching career. Prior to this, Mrs. Carter attended The State University of New York Potsdam to acquire her BA in Writing and Literature and Secondary Education. Later on, in 2015, she earned her MsEd in Secondary English Education from SUNY Potsdam and, in 2019, her EdS in Education Leadership from Nova Southeastern University in Southern Florida. Currently, she is pursuing an EdD in Instructional Technology from Nova.
Mrs. Carter stated that she bounced between different career options throughout school; police officer, lawyer, and drug and alcohol counselor were all options, but “teaching never crossed [her] mind”. Fate changed one day during college, when her former principal entered the ice cream shop where she was employed and suggested entering a teaching program to pursue a career as an English teacher. Mrs. Carter has 16 years of teaching experience under her belt, with this year being her 17th. Before moving to Tennessee, she taught regular and gifted ELA (6th-8th grade) in Port St. Lucie, Florida. She made a switch after 5 years to teach 11th grade English via Florida Virtual School. Mrs. Carter made another move to Georgia where she “taught 10th grade English through Georgia Connections and 7th grade in Brick and Mortar”. Alongside this, she taught Comp. I and II, Speech, and Education Classes for aspiring teachers as an adjunct professor.
When asked about her experiences at OSHS, Mrs. Carter said that she “truly enjoyed everything about teaching at Oliver Springs! The staff and admin, and especially the students, made [her] time spent [here] a wonderful experience.” She also commented that, to her, “The most important aspects of teaching are understanding your students’ interests and learning styles, as well as creating a learner-centered environment. [She also feels] it is imperative to continue and learn along with the students. If [she] ever feels like [she has] learned all there is to learn, it will be time for [her] to hang up [her] teaching hat”. As of January 6th, Mrs. Carter departed from Oliver Springs High School. We thank her for her time here, and hope she knows that she was loved dearly!
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