SWANSEA, S.C. — Although this is only her second year as an educator, Lexington District Four's Delaney Price always knew she was destined for the classroom.
"I tell them all the time, I can be upset with you, but I'm never going to stop loving you. So, I want them to know that I love them regardless of ups and downs," says Ms. Price. "I used to play teacher even probably at their age. I had a lot of family members who were actually teachers. So there was really kind of no question about what I really wanted to do."
Ms. Price is a first grade teacher at Sandhills Primary School. She knows her grandmother is watching down on her, proud of her accomplishments.
"My grandmother was actually a really big influence of mine. She was one of my favorite people. And so when she was a teacher, it kind of just made me want to learn more about it. And so that's kind of what brought me into there," says Ms. Price.
Ms. Price's grandmother passed away when she was only 17. We asked Ms. Price what advice her grandmother would give her if she could see her now as an educator.
"She probably would tell me to keep your head up and keep going. That I'm really making a difference with these kids, and even if they know it or not," says Ms. Price.
Ms. Price is making that difference. Especially in the lives of students like Chase Sims and Sims Floyd.
"She's nice. She loves us. She likes to play with us. She likes to do a lot of things with us," says Chase Sims. "She is nice. And we have to treat her the same way she treats us because that's how she wants it."
"Ms. Price is the best teacher in the whole world," says Sims Floyd.
Born in Santee and a graduate of Francis Marion University, Ms. Price always knew she wanted to work in Early Childhood Education.
"They still love to learn but they're a little bit more independent to where I'm not having a tie shoes every two minutes," says Price.
After graduation, Ms. Price moved to Lexington County with her husband where she started working at Sandhills Primary.
"Growing up, I went to a private school from Kindergarten to 12th grade. So I was very new to all of it. But it very much so felt like that private school environment that I went to. So it made me more comfortable moving away from that," says Ms. Price.
And her students never want her to leave.
"She's my favorite teacher," says Chase Sims.
"I tell her I love her. That's what I'd tell her. I love her," says Sims Floyd.
If you know a teacher like Ms. Price 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.