Teachers are an important part of every community and the impact that they make can be immeasurable. Amy Young is a teacher at her alma mater Elgin High School and, as a student, she had a number of teachers that made an impression on her.
“The teacher who made learning come alive as a freshman in high school was Mrs. Melissa Evon,” she said. “Mrs. Sue Sahmaunt taught me to love grammar. My Ag teachers, Mr. Vince McGolden and Mr. Jerry Renshaw, pushed me in the world of public speaking. Mr. Jack Freeman challenged me in chemistry and physics. Looking back, I didn’t have a single bad teacher, they all contributed to my growth as a person.”
Young is in her twenty-fourth year as an educator. She teaches tenth-grade English, Honors tenth-grade English, and Creative Writing for ninth through twelfth grades. She is also a sponsor of the junior class.
While she did not initially set out to become a teacher, Amy made a decision early on to follow her heart and enter the education field.
“My journey to become an educator was pretty straightforward,” she recalled. “After a semester as a psychology major, I decided to do what I loved, which was to read and write. Teaching has always come naturally to me. I love figuring out different ways to present information to keep students engaged and for maximum learning retention.”
There are a lot of aspects that come along with being a teacher, but Amy has one thing about it that she enjoys the most.
“The greatest thing about being a teacher is the kids,” she said. “They simultaneously drive me crazy and drive me to be a better teacher. Many people say there is no way they could teach high school students today. I say what better way to influence the next generation. They have as much to teach us as we have to teach them. Every day has its challenges, but there is something good about every day.”
Amy and her husband Brent have been married for twenty-five years. They have two children; Lillian is a junior at the University of Central Oklahoma and Lucas is a junior at Elgin. When she is not in the classroom, Young has a number of other ways she enjoys spending her time.
“I like to read, garden, and attend my kids’ sporting events,” she said. “I enjoy my pool in the summer and go to the beach at every opportunity. I also teach children’s and women’s classes at my church.”
