CALHOUN COUNTY, S.C. — To be or not to be our next News19 Teacher of the Week. That’s the question at Calhoun County High School.
And in her freshman English class, Mrs. Alicia Dixon is making sure all her students understand the play, Romeo and Juliet, and have fun while learning.
Born in Horry County, Mrs. Dixon graduated from Coastal Carolina and started working with the South Carolina Highway Patrol. She says it was her church community that pushed her to teaching.
“My husband is a pastor. So going to church, we introduced children's church at the church. And a lot of students struggled to read. And so that was my thing. I said I wanted to be part of the solution instead of the problem. So, I did what I needed to do so I can get certified to teach English,” says Mrs. Dixon.
Mrs. Dixon joined “Teachers of Tomorrow.”
“At the time, I was working with Highway Patrol. I was working overnight and I had time to read. And I ended up doing Teachers of Tomorrow and doing all those modules," says Mrs. Dixon.
She has been teaching at Calhoun County High School for five years.
“I was at work and having to be on day shift that day with Highway Patrol. I got a phone call from the principal who asked me if I was still interested, because whenever you finish the Teachers of Tomorrow program, I guess they kind of put you out there," says Mrs. Dixon, "I came and interviewed. Interview went well. I got a call back a couple of days after that, and I was hired.”
“She's quiet and meek, but she is a soldier. She loves what she does. She loves education. She loves making sure that kids are learning and forever learning as well as reading,” says Pastor Byron Dixon, Mrs. Dixon's husband.
Pastor Dixon is also a high school teacher at Fairfield Central. High school sweethearts themselves, Pastor Dixon knows firsthand how caring his wife is as an educator
“Reading is her biggest thing. She wants to make sure every child is touched and met the need. Meet the needs of them with reading and comprehension skills,” says Pastor Dixon.
“First and foremost, manners. Kindness will take you a long way, being able to believe in yourself. Knowing that whatever work you put in now, it pays off later. You may not see it right now, but I promise it'll work out for you later on," says Dixon.
If you know a teacher like Mrs. Dixon 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.