Growing Your Own Teachers | Amber Ball

Growing Your Own Teachers

Amber Ball is a 2010 Beloit Memorial High School Graduate. This last Spring on May 16 she graduated with her teaching degree from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Yesterday, our homegrown teacher Ms. Ball began her full-time teaching career at Robinson Elementary as a 4-K teacher.
How cool is that! Exceedingly Beloit Proud!

Last Sping Ms. Ball student taught at Gaston Elementary during her final semester at UW-Whitewater. At that time we caught up with Ms. Ball along with second grade teachers and mentors David Martin and Ashley Jenkins.  Mr. Martin and Ms. Jenkins both said she was doing a wonderful job. The Beloit Memorial High School graduate said at the time that she was hoping to come back to her hometown of Beloit to obtain a teaching job.
And she did.

Nothing could make Jenkins and Martin happier.

“She’s fantastic,” Jenkins said.

Ball not only takes the initiative, she established relationships with all the kids by learning their names quickly and giving and receiving respect. She also fits in well with the staff and is not afraid to positively redirect students when it is needed, the teachers said.

And, “You could see it immediately when she gave lessons then reflected on them and examined what could work better,” Jenkins said of Ball’s talents as a future teacher.

The Importance of Mentors

Ball had been at Gaston since the end of January, each week taking on more and more duties with the guidance and support from the classroom teachers as she completed her graduation requirements.

“It’s been a seamless transition with her taking over,” Martin said.

When asked why she wants to come back to Beloit to teach, Ball said: “My mentor, Tasha Bell, kind of got me thinking about Beloit, the students here and the impact I could have on them.”

Bell is the School District of Beloit Equity Coordinator.

Of her student teaching experience at Gaston, Ball said it has been a positive one.

“I love it. I think this has been the very best experience so far in college.”

Giving Back To Her Hometown

She said she would like to teach in a primary school, preferably grades K-2.

School District of Beloit Executive Director of Personnel Services Todd Cabelka was excited about the prospect of having Beloit graduates return and give back to the community.

“Amber is truly a great person and we are privileged that she is considering the School District of Beloit as her place of employment,” he said. “She is just the type of success story we are striving for – having local kids go off to college, major in education and come back home to share their gifts with our students.

“This is the type of story we want to repeat yearly and hopefully the Grow Your Own Minority Scholarship Program will help us do that,” Cabelka said.

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