Educator of the Week: Amber Douglas

It’s time now to recognize our Educator of the Week, brought to you by the Tennessee Education Lottery.

Amber Douglas is a visual arts teacher at Lexington High School.

She says she decided to pursue education after she had her first child.

“And I knew immediately then that I wanted to be able to be with her as long as I could. I knew that teaching was one way that I could do that,” Douglas said.

Douglas has been a teacher for 15 years, but says it wasn’t always easy.

“I taught in the elementary setting. They cut the funding for that, so then I lost my job. Then I opened an art studio, and I had an art studio called Artsy Smartsy here in town for a couple of years.
That’s when I had the conversation with God, and I was like, ‘Okay, God, if you want me to teach in a public school system again, then you’re going to have to put me there.’ And he was like, ‘ha-ha.’
They came knocking on my door. They asked me. They offered me the job, so that’s how I got the job,” Douglas said.

Being an art teacher can be tough, especially when dealing with different art mediums and techniques.

Douglas shares how she teaches her class.

“I’d like to consider myself more of a guide-by-the-side-type teacher,” said Douglas. “And then also I walk around and I monitor and I help, and I nudge in this direction or that direction if they need redirection or whatever. But that’s what I try to do.”

Douglas also tells us how the Hope Scholarship has benefited her daughter’s college journey.

“It’s really helped her a lot. It’s helped her financially. She’s not having to take out as many student loans. She does have a job, but she’s not having to work as many hours to make ends meet.”

Douglas is now eligible for the Tennessee Education Lottery Educator of the Month award.

To vote for her or any other nominees, go to the Tennessee Education Lottery website.

To nominate an educator for our Educator of the Week award, email us at educator@wbbjtv.com.