OCALA, Fla. — Most of us have grown up with adults saying, "It's not polite to stare" when you see someone different. A Marion County A+ Teacher of disabled students wants us all to know there is a better way.
- Amy Owensby has a deep 'bond' with her students
- Discover even more A+ Teachers here
Amy Owensby teaches at Hillcrest Public School in Ocala and says, "Don't teach your kids to look away either. Don't say, 'Don't look at them. Don't look at them.' Teach them to say hi. Teach them to say, 'It's nice to meet you. My name is so and so. Nice to see you today.' Include, engage and treat them as though you are seeing them. They matter. They're here."
Owensby was nominated as an A+ Teacher due to the passion, dedication and deep love she has for her students. She has affectionately called "Ms. B."
Her teacher's aide Kilee Murphy describes the deep bond she has with her students.
She says, "When you have that bond, you're able to connect so that way when you do teach you have that connection and that communication to where it sticks with them besides where it goes in one ear and out the other."
Owensby says it starts from the moment her students enter her classroom.
"With every single one of them I get a few minutes to say, 'I'm happy you're here today. You are so special to me. You matter. We're going to have a great day because you're here.' 'Cause they all need to hear that," she recounted.
Owensby was teaching her students work-study when Spectrum News 13 stopped by her classroom recently. A "yes" or "no" switch is her way of giving her disabled students the ability to make some of their own choices.
"But I want them to feel like they're a part of this world and to be able to say, 'No, I don't want oatmeal today Ms. B. Give me a dang bagel!'" she declared.
It is that kindness and acceptance that makes Ms. B an A+ Teacher.
Murphy adds, "And you can see by the way she teaches, you can see by the way the kids respond to her, you can see just by the staff around her just how much of a phenomenal teacher she is."
