Teacher of the Week: Hannah Siler

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A teacher’s support and encouragement can make a world-of-difference in a student’s life, in and outside of the classroom.

Our Teacher of the Week, Hannah Siler, was inspired by one of her elementary school teachers to be the head of the class after she and her family were told she’d never even graduate from high school.

“When they looked at me they said, ‘Oh she’ll never read. She’ll never succeed at school,'” said Siler.

Mrs. Siler struggled with reading and after undergoing testing, she spent her third grade year in special education.

“My mom just broke down and cried,” said Siler. “She didn’t know what to do to help me.”

But, her special education teacher knew just what she needed to be successful. Within the year Mrs. Siler was able to overcome her weaknesses and learn to read.

“That teacher that had me changed my life,” she said.

Her teacher had such a lasting impact on her that Mrs. Siler decided to become a special education teacher and work with the kids that grapple with similar troubles.

“They have so much potential and I think they are kind of just over looked sometimes,” said Siler.

For three years Mrs. Siler has worked with the exceptional students at Town Creek Elementary. The kids range from kindergarten age level to fifth grade.

“Every day I get a hug that means something. Every day, a true genuine ‘I love you’ hug,” she said as she smiled.

Those hugs are limited though. At the end of the school year Mrs. Siler will put down the books for arguably the best job of all. In June, Mrs. Siler is expecting her first child.

“It is going to be a hard transition. But the really awesome thing is that they are all part of my family,” she said.

As she prepares for her family to grow, Mrs. Siler is excited to be sharing these moments with her students. She says every week her class tracks the development of her baby, and that kids have now come to love him just as much as she does.

“This morning he was kicking so they all lined up to feel my belly,” said Siler.

With just a couple of months left in the classroom, Mrs. Siler hopes she has touched her students’ lives and helped them grow just as her third grade teacher did for her.