South Dakota’s Amanda Hargreaves has been named as her state’s 2021 Teacher of the Year. She teaches at Mitchell Middle School in Mitchell, South Dakota. Photo credit: Dakota University.

I always enjoy sharing stories about talented educators that have been honored for their work in the classroom. One of these is Amanda Hargreaves, who has been named South Dakota’s 2021 State Teacher of the Year.

Amanda inaugurated her career as an educator in 2010 at Longfellow Elementary School. Although it was her first year of teaching, she established an anti-bullying program there. Currently, Amanda teaches science and Language Arts to sixth graders at Mitchell Middle School in Mitchell, South Dakota. She has taught there since 2011. In Amanda’s classroom, the emphasis is on establishing and nurturing relationships. Her “think outside the box” approach makes her classroom an innovative learning environment. The creative educator incorporates real-world situations and project-based learning in classroom lessons. An example of this is her “force and motion carnival.” For this carnival, students design and construct carnival games to demonstrate their understanding of Newton’s laws of motion.

In addition to her responsibilities in the classroom, Amanda serves on the Principal’s Cabinet Leadership Team and her school’s Spirit Committee. She also provides professional development opportunities for her colleagues frequently. And, like many teachers, Amanda offers her students after-school tutoring.

Despite the many challenges and frequent changes in teaching, Amanda is happy with her career choice. “Teaching is the most rewarding profession in the world. Even on my most challenging days, I can’t wait to go back the next day,” she declares.

Amanda earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Dakota State University and her Master’s degree in Educational Administration from the University of South Dakota.

To read more about this amazing educator, see this article published about her by Dakota University.