Henrico's Top Teachers – Amanda Hawthorne, Crestview Elementary School, exceptional education

“According to my mother, before I even got into school, I was saying I was going to be a teacher,” Amanda Hawthorne said.

Now, after more than three decades of service across various roles in the education field, she has fulfilled the calling she always knew was hers.

Born in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, Hawthorne moved with her family to Alleghany County, Virginia, where she was raised. In high school, she met a girl named Theresa at her church. Despite going to the same high school, they’d never met in school, as Theresa was in a self-contained special needs class.

Hawthorne recalled being bothered that, given the environment of the classroom, few students in the high school knew about the class. At that moment, she knew she would become an exceptional education teacher.

As a student at Longwood University, Hawthorne found opportunities to get involved in teaching, from volunteering in camps to participating in the Future Teachers of America club.

After earning a master’s degree in special education and psychology, she started her role as an educator, beginning as a high school resource special education teacher. From roles as a hospital education teacher at the University of Virginia to a special education coordinator at Louisa County Schools, she eventually landed at Henrico's Crestview Elementary School, where she has worked for the past 18 years.

“When I interviewed at Crestview, I was like, I want to retire from here,” Hawthorne said.

Her school days start early at 7:20 a.m. While her classes operate in a self-contained format, she finds ways for her students to engage with the community, from joining the rest of the school for lunch recess to bimonthly community-based instruction trips to different community spots.

One initiative that Hawthorne is particularly proud of is starting a weekly coffee cart project, something she says is usually done in middle and high school. With support from community crowdfunding, Hawthorne and her students go around with two carts every Friday, making and delivering coffee orders for teachers around the school.

Taking a hands-on approach to teaching, she says that projects like the coffee cart teach her students various life skills, from soft skills like teamwork to dealing with money.

“It's been unique for the kids because, you know, they're learning skills. They're learning teamwork, how to clean up, how to set up, how to use a map… it brought in so many life skills in addition to their academics that it just seemed like a no-brainer,” Hawthorne said.

In her journey working in exceptional education, Hawthorne was often told that burnout rates were high.

“The burnout rate is, well, when I was in school, seven (years), now it's three years,” she said. Despite the challenges, her love for students and dedication to making a difference have led her to continue finding new ways to help her students.

“I want my students to have the best start that they can get so they can be the best citizens they can be,” Hawthorne said.

After 32 years in education, Hawthorne is retiring at the end of this school year.

Throughout her career, she has learned valuable lessons and made lasting contributions to her community. She builds relationships with her students and their families, long after they graduate from elementary school. As she puts it, “once my baby, always my baby.”

Her thoughtful approach has resonated with parents of her students.

“I am constantly amazed by the care she takes in getting to know her students and providing them with individual attention,” a nominator wrote. “She has a smile on her face every day despite the challenges of the year.”

“She is amazing! Mrs. Hawthorne has gone above and beyond,” another nominator wrote. “I feel so lucky that she is [my son's] kindergarten teacher!”

Despite entering retirement, she says she won’t leave education entirely. She foresees herself substituting and volunteering in schools in the future.

Through it all, she has lived by a simple motto: “Everybody’s a person that deserves dignity and respect,” she said.