Teaching is a profession that touches the lives of every child. It takes a special person to dedicate their life to teaching the next generation of leaders. Amanda Wylie teaches English Language Arts, Reading, and Social Studies to sixth, seventh, and eighth grade special education students at West Middle School in Ponca City.

“What I love is being able to show my kids that even though they may have disabilities, they are still incredibly smart kids and capable of great things,” Wylie said. “I also have an amazing team of paras and co-teachers.”

The decision to become a full-time teacher was something that progressed over time. Serving in the classroom as a para gave her the opportunity to know how much of an impact she could make on the students’ lives. She says that she also had some outstanding influences in her life.

“Growing up, I didn’t really have any teachers that made a big impact on me other than my dad,” she recalled. “I was a para in the classroom of an amazing lead teacher for four years and then I decided to become a teacher. My lead teacher was an encouragement for me through the whole process. Also, my dad and husband were teachers and they were both inspirations for me too.”

While she enjoys being able to help her students and impact their lives and futures, Amanda knows that teaching is not always an easy profession. But at the end of the day, you have to take care of yourself as much as you do your students.

“Teaching is not for the faint of heart,” she stated. “It is hard. You have to learn how to leave your school work at school. Self care is not an option. It’s mandatory. You can’t be an effective teacher if you are trying to pour from an empty cup.”