Amy's ABQ Journal Article

After years of hard work and dedication, the Teacher of the Year Award went to thirty-five year old Amy Ford.  Ford has been working with the Albuquerque Public School system ever since finishing the ATL program at CNM in 2010.  She has been working at High Town Elementary for the past five years, one of New Mexico's lowest graded elementary schools.  Ford has increased literacy rates for High Town forty-one percent from 2012 to 2017.  She developed after school workshops with kids ranging from 2nd to 5th grade and opened up her own time for those interested in extra help.  She asked parents of her students to get involved and volunteer, too. Most were happy to oblige.
 Mrs. Henderson, a mother of five (two of which were Ford's students) said, "My kids loved working with her.  My youngest, Sandra, was having troubles sounding out the words. I didn't have the extra time to work with her one on one, so Miss Ford's program really helped with that. When I'd come to pick Sandra up, I could see how happy she was and how much she improved on her reading skills.  After my schedule cleared up, I took my older kids with me and helped Amy work with Sandra and other students. It was a joy."  
Being patient and understanding is a huge part in teaching. High Town and Ford's administrator Jane Caldwell, seemed pleased to have someone amongst the staff raising the bar.  Caldwell is happy to have Ford on her team.  She said, "I hope she stays with us a while.  Coworkers here at High Town get together Thursday mornings to talk about classroom structure and how things are going with students and what needs to be improved on.  Amy has brought with her and developed a real sense of camaraderie amongst the teachers that I haven't seen in my career in quite some time.  It's refreshing to work together and have a support system within one's profession." 
Ford and Caldwell worked together even further with coworkers and parents for their school.  They raised money through fundraisers for better school supplies, more books, and in two years, raised and collected enough money for a small computer lab. Ford said, "the kids were so excited.  We have five computers now so they have to take turns, but just to have it available to them is great.  That's what it's all about- making school a pleasurable experience for the kids, making it fun for them to learn." One of Ford's 3rd graders named Chelsea said, "I like Miss Ford's class. Sometimes it is hard, but that's o.k. I think she's cool."  Spoken like an honest student! 
        When asked why Amy Ford went into teaching, she replied, "I wanted to give back to a community that was in need of something- a change, if you will, make a difference as cliche as that may sound.  Kids are really the best teachers.  They teach us patience with ourselves, the importance of innocence, and they remind us of a world before prejudice exists.  The kids make this job rewarding.  I'm not a native New Mexican but I love New Mexico and how much its taught me about culture and teaching mulitculturally and I couldn't be happier."
Ford is well deserving of the Teacher of the Year Award with all her achievements in 2017.  The positive effects she has had on her students in her relatively short and new teaching career shows how much she cares about students and student progress. All of us here at Albuquerque Journal say, keep up the good work Miss Ford!