PELION, S.C. — Every morning, Ms. Meshia Gantt at Pelion Middle School in Lexington School District One starts her class with "Good Things." She celebrates the little victories with her students. From baseball practice to birthdays she starts her day with a Panther clap.
“The love that she shares is more like, when you're talking to a child, and it seems like everything they say she sucks it in, and it just matters,” said Lisa Davis, an instructional assistant at the middle school.
Davis nominated Gantt to be News 19 Teacher of the Week. She knows first-hand the love the students share in the classroom.
“She's always praising the kids," Davis said. "Half of the kids don't want to leave in the mornings. They're like, 'Can we go see Miss Gantt,' and I'm like, 'She needs a break, guys,' but they love her. And we love her.”
Gantt teaches special education and 6th grade students in the resource program.
“I brag about my sixth graders all the time, Gantt said. "They might not know that, but I brag about them because they really want to learn. They come in every day ready. The first question that I get asked, 'What are we doing today?' That makes my heart melt. But it also motivates me too because they're ready to learn, so I have to be prepared for them.”
Born in Monetta and a graduate of Clemson, Gantt found her motivation to teach from a career fair when she was a student.
“I felt like I wasn't quite ready to be an adult yet. What I loved about Lexington One was they made the process seem kind of seamless," Gantt said. "They just had the kind of voice during the interview that just confirmed that this is where I wanted to be. And I've been here ever since.”
Gantt started her teaching career at Carolina Springs Middle School but found her teaching groove at Pelion Middle.
“I've been awarded the opportunities to work with people who I truly mesh well with, which you don't really get often in a lot of schools,” Gantt said.
Outside the classroom, you can find coach Gantt cheering on the Pelion Panthers.
“My first year of teaching, I only had two cheerleaders. Fast forward to now, five years later, I had a team of 30,” Gantt said.
No matter on the field or in the classroom, her message rings true.
“Find a path that fits you. Do what you love, and just keep going. Because everybody has a purpose. Each of these kids in here have a purpose,” Gantt said.
If you know a teacher like Ms. Gantt who deserves to be recognized for their hard work in the classroom you can nominate them by emailing us at TOW@WLTX.COM. Tell us what that educator is doing every day to go above and beyond in the classroom.