Golden Apple Award: Ellie Whitaker, Battlefield Primary School
FORT OGLETHORPE, GA (WDEF) – Ellie Whitaker has a gift for bringing out the best in her first-grade students at Battlefield Primary School. It starts with building a relationship with each child and learning the how they learn. That kind of dedication earned Ms. Whitaker this week’s Golden Apple Award.
Julie Robbins is the Principal, Battlefield Primary School.
She says, “Well, Ms. Whittaker was actually a student at Battlefield Primary School when she was a child. So, it’s always exciting when we have someone (one of our own) come back and have the investment into our school that she does.”
Ellie Whitaker says, “Ever since I was a kid, playing school. A kid here, yeah, I actually went to school here at Battlefield Primary when it opened actually was my first year in second grade so I got to come here for one year as a second grader and some of my teachers that taught me here are actually still teachers here today which is really cool so I have a lot of mentors that I look up to that are here.
Principal Robbins continues, “Miss Whitaker is as a phenomenal teacher. First grade is a critical year for students, and she just gets it. She understands that teaching is more than just academics. She teaches the whole child. She is very patient, very kind. Her students know that they’re make a mistake, and they know they can have a bad day, and she is going to welcome them back and show them unconditional care and love.
Ellie Whitaker continues, “A teacher at Battlefield Primary School. I’m a mom, I have two beautiful boys and a husband at home. I love just being in the classroom and seeing those light bulbs go off in my students. Throughout the year at different times, I just love teaching. the little ones because they’re so eager to learn and they’re happy to be here. And it’s just so much fun to see them learn new things learn how to read and write and do math and things like that.”
She continues, ” In first grade, they’re starting to have some little bit more independence. From kindergarten to first it’s a big change for them. Because they’ve been in school now for a little bit, but they’re still new to it. So, we’re doing a lot more academics in the classroom and things like that where they’re learning a lot of things in a short period of time. I just really want them to remember me as a positive role model in their lives. I want them to remember me as not only having high expectations for them but also loving them and wanting them to be successful in the classroom. I love seeing my former students even in second grade and then as they go on down the hill and in middle school now. come back and remember me. It’s really cool to see them grow up and kind of see what type of people they turn into.”
