Amber Temple is a teacher at Bovina Elementary,where she teaches pre-kindergarten.

Temple said she loves to teach skills with a hands-on approach so children who are struggling academically can find their path to learning the skills they need.

“This gives each child and different learning style to shine,” Temple explained.

Temple is a finalist for the Vicksburg-Warren County Chamber of Commerce’s Educator of the Year. The Chamber will select and announce one elementary and one secondary teacher of the year at the Chamber Luncheon in February. The winner of each award will receive $1,000 from Ameristar Casino and the runner-up for each award will win $500 from Mutual Credit Union.

Temple started teaching in 2017 at Beechwood Elementary, where she remained for two years. She has been at Bovina Elementary since 2019.

Another skill or life lesson Temple teaches is the importance of community.

“Habits 4 and 5 teach us to be considerate of others, especially those in need, in our community,” she said. “We lead by example in our class by doing a service project each year. The students pick what service project they want to do each year and the class, through its participation, gives back to our community.”

Temple said she believes consistently charting students’ growth in the classroom has a direct and positive effect on their academic achievement, a goal programs like the Leader in Me initiative go a long way toward achieving.

“In Leader in Me, we call charting our growth, WIGS or Wildly Important Goals,” she said. “Our students set their academic goals and we hold them accountable by charting their growth after each testing period.”

When asked about her most moving educational experience, Temple didn’t hesitate in saying, “I taught a child who needed a lot of love and had trust issues one year. She challenged me on all levels. I learned that I needed to love her big to gain her trust if I wanted her to learn. That experience has truly guided my teaching and made me aware of how important relationships with each student truly are.”

When asked why she chose teaching as a profession, Temple said, “I want to be the light in my students’ learning experience, because they truly are the light in my teaching experience.”