GASTON, S.C. — It's all smiles in Michelle James' class at Frances Mack Intermediate School. Our Teacher of the Week has spent 14 years in classrooms across the Midlands.
"I love children. I love to see them shine. I love to see the light bulb go off. There's something about kids and their behaviors and the way they interact," Michelle James said. "The more I've got to teach children, I realize that there's a reason why they behave the way they do."
Born in Trinidad and moved to the Virgin Islands, James traveled to the states for college at Barber–Scotia in North Carolina.
"After I graduated, I went back to the Virgin Islands. You know, first graduating, needed to find life. And then suddenly, I decided I want to be a grown up," James said.
She moved to South Carolina for grad school and has been here ever since. Now, she is married with two daughters.
"I went to Columbia College and got another Bachelor's in Elementary Education. So, that was just regular education teaching. And somewhere along the line, I got bored and said, you know what, I need to go back to school to work on my masters. So as a first year teacher, I started to work on my masters," James. said.
James first started teaching in Beaufort County, then moved to Orangeburg to teach special education. Her path led her to Richland One, Lexington Two and now Lexington Four for her first year at Frances Mack with Ms. Hook by her side.
"This is our first year together, but we work so well together. We're both Libras. We're a few days apart but she's the best assistant ever. She's more like my big sister. We work like we've known each other forever," James said.
James says she saw a need in special education, and grabbed it.
"I want to be an advocate for children who cannot speak up for themselves, especially kids who have been identified with a disability. They need someone who understands, they need someone who is patient, and they need someone who's loving," James said.
"She's a good teacher. She helps me read. And she helped me get my math up as well. She has been our best teacher," Frances Mack Intermediate School student Elijah told us.
"I love them no matter who they are, no matter what they're going through, whether they had a good day or a bad day. And I tell them that I love them. I make sure that they understand that I love them," James said.
"She's a good teacher. She's a very good teacher," student Phillip told us.
"I don't do it for the glory or anything like that. I just do it for the kids," James said.
If you know a teacher like Michelle James 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.