Amy The Teacher
Doctor James White is a Doctor of Education and a teacher in the Hazlet school system. He and his fellow faculty members have their own special memories of Amy Smith Gill, the 49-year-old Special Education instruction at the Middle School who died earlier this year.
Amy Lynn Gill of Locust passed away January 30 after an eight-month battle with a rare form of cancer.
A memorial service will be held at Pfleger Funeral Home, Middletown on Friday, February 8, from 4 to 8 p.m. Her funeral will take place Saturday, February 10 at St. Agnes Church, Atlantic Highlands. A burial will follow immediately at Bayview Cemetery in Leonardo.
This is the third in a series that will be posted this week in VeniVidiScripto featuring stories of Amy’s life and the impact she had on all who knew her, as well as the lessons they have learned from the life she led.
Amy taught special education in the Hazlet school system for more than 20 years, as well as being a swim instructor summers, always exhibiting the same patience and understanding of how each child learns regardless of whether it was in the classroom or in the pool.
For Dr. White, Amy was a teacher who “taught all the little things in her little way,” resulting in students who were given extra special attention, obvious love, and a solid foundation on proceeding further in their lives.
English teacher Carolyn Carey of Middletown and special educ instructor Christina Drennan of Tinton Falls agree. All know that being a special education teacher takes more patience, more understanding, and more dedication than many other types of teaching. Amy had all of those, they all agreed, and added so much love on her own to make it perfect.
“She was always so wonderful, so hard working, and so scheduled,” Dr. White recalls, thinking back over the years he taught in the same school as Amy. He recalls in particular the little things that were important to Amy, like thanking a child for doing something special, complimenting one who had completed a difficult task, simply appreciating everything about each individual. “It was just her little way,” the educator said, “and everybody knew her and loved her.”
Dr. White said he was most impressed by a teacher, even though he always knew she was great when he had to cover her class one day. And “in watching her, I was amazed because I don’t know how she did it. But there was never a second she left any one of her students unattended. “She could glide through the room.” He smiles for a second in thought, then adds, “she was rather like a sheep dog, she could herd her little ones into a protective group and mantle them with affection and care.”
That is not to say she couldn’t be tough as well,” he added quickly with a smile., “She knew the importance of discipline and she carried it out fairly and in a way that helped a child to understand and profit from the interaction. And she could still do it all with a smile.”
Carolyn taught with Amy for 24 years, building a friendship that was both warm and uplifting.” I remember always admiring her, thinking I could never be that good, I could never be able to accomplish what she does every day. I am so blessed to have known her, and I have learned so much from here. I now know I am so lucky to have known and learned from her. And in her death, I also have learned, and will practice, to never take any day for granted. Nothing is guaranteed.”
Christina recalls it was Amy’s prodding that kept her in the education world. “I almost quit after my first year,” the popular English teacher said. “But she prodded me, told me to get to know my students better, told me I would appreciate not only them more but the work I was doing with them. She taught me the importance of being a role model and a part of a child’s life in the classroom.” I’ll keep those lessons forever, and I am certainly glad she prodded me into staying in the teaching field.”
All three recall that Amy was Teacher of the Year, not once but twice. And if they had their say, she is Teacher of the Year every year. “It was a standard joke,” they all chuckle, “as soon as the news would come out who was that year’s teacher of the year, we would all laugh and say, “it doesn’t matter who it is….we all know that every year it should be Amy Smith Gill.”
Other Stories about Amy
Thank you Muriel for this wonderful series.
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