This article is part of a series by The Vicksburg Post, in partnership with the Vicksburg-Warren County Chamber of Commerce, featuring each of the Educator of the Year nominees.

 

Every person has a story. Eric Lawson encourages his students to share and understand theirs to help them grow as people and as scholars.

“I am a strong believer that every student has a story that contributes to who they are as a whole person. My students take time to write their story,” Lawson said. “They share their stories; they quickly realize that they have similar stories. One by one they begin to be more gracious, compassionate, and kinder.”

Lawson is a finalist for the Vicksburg-Warren County Chamber of Commerce’s Educator of the Year award.

The Chamber will select and announce one elementary and one secondary teacher of the year at the chamber luncheon on Feb. 17. The winner of each award will receive $1,000 from Ameristar Casino and the runner-up for each award will receive $500 from Mutual Credit Union.

Lawson received his master’s from Alcorn State University in 2019. He has worked in public schools for more than seven years and currently teaches leadership and physical education at River City Early College.

“I teach because I love seeing and being the change our youth need,” Lawson wrote in his Educator of the Year application.

Lawson is open with his students about his background to show them that their upbringing has an impact on their life, but it is not the sole decider of their future.

“I begin by being transparent with my students. I unpack my life story as if I am unpacking a suitcase. I share my story to be an example of how your environment, adversity you have dealt with, and triumphs you have experienced teach lessons. They make us stronger if we let them,” Lawson said. “I share that we don’t have to be a product of our environment; we can change the direction of our lives.”