Canton special needs educator named ACTIVE Academies' Teacher of the Year
A special needs teacher at Cherokee County' ACTIVE Academies Campus in Canton has been named her school's teacher of the year.
It's the highest award for a teacher at the unique school.
Angela Ezell says her passion for teaching students with learning disabilities and making sure they are accepted is the real reward.
"I just fell in love with this population. I didn't know that this was in store for me," Ezell said.
Ezell teaches special needs students in the school's transitional program. They are students who have graduated from high school who come to learn soft skills and job training skills they use in the realworld.
"We want to prepare them for what adult life is going to look like. We'll teach them those hands-on vocational skills. We also teach adult living skills as well. So we teach them how to get an apartment, how to have a budget," Ezell said.
Ezell has been teaching at active academies for 12 years.
"Whenever people think of people or adults with disabilities, they might think that limits them on what they can do. I feel like I've done my job when a student can go out, and they can advocate for themselves, and they can show a business how hard they can work," Ezell said.
The school district said that Enzell is "a true symbol of what the Transition Academy stands for."