ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – The gap between elementary and middle school can sometimes feel like the Grand Canyon. That’s where a good trail guide, like 5th-grade teacher Hallie Chewning, comes in.
While core subjects are tackled, you could argue that she’s more focused on bridging that gap. So the canyon now feels like a pothole that can be cleared with one confident stride.
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”I tell my kids every year I’m not just here to teach you academics; I’m here to help you build life skills to build your character and learn how to function as a citizen in society after school," Burlington Elementary 5th-grade teacher Hallie Chewning said.
In her 4th year at Burlington Elementary School, Chewning’s innovative and thorough approach could only work if she developed trust with her students. After all, life advice from a stranger doesn’t land. That same advice from extended family makes all the difference.
“The biggest thing that she brings to the table is that she builds phenomenal relationships with students,” said Burlington Elementary School principal Beth Grim Jennings. “She really gets to know them on a personal level. She gets to know their interests, their home life, their families, and they respect that, and she really, really developed a mutual strong respect for the students, and they really respect [and] respond to that.”
Chewning explained, “Our classes are family. I tell him that all the time we win together, we lose together. We are our family while we’re here. You spend seven hours a day in school, so these are the people that you’re with more than even at home sometimes.”
“The mindset matters, right? And I think she’s not only verbalizing that, but she’s also showing that as well. Her nomination spoke to the fact that she even goes out and spends her own money to buy them a little treat, little Christmas gifts, but not just any old treat! They don’t all get the same thing. She gets something based on their likes and preferences that makes an impact on them,” Blue Eagle Credit Union Senior Brand Manager Laurissa Thompson said.
Chewning’s impact and success have led to her promotion within Roanoke County Schools for next year. She’ll be headed to an administrative position back in her school system at William Byrd in Vinton.