Nursing and teaching collide all for good in Kelly Hartley’s world. Hartley is Lexington County School District Four’s Teacher of the Year for the current school year, representing the Swansea area.

“I like how Lexington school district four is small and has a family-oriented feel. I like how you can have the support of your peers and I love the people of the community,” Hartley said, who is a health science instructor at Swansea High School. “It is a small town and it reminds me of the town in which I grew up. The people of this town will come out and show their support for the students and schools and they love to see students giving back to the community. I think a school with a strong community behind them will thrive and this shows in Lexington school district 4.”

Hartley has been with the district for almost nine years, having started in the health science technology program. She is a registered nurse and says she has a strong passion for nursing while admiring the career and technical side of education.

In fact, teaching in the health science field allows her to teach skills that will apply to life post-high school.

“I teach health science technology and I think this in itself makes my classroom unique because this program teaches valuable workforce skills that help to underpin America’s workforce by providing students with the knowledge, technical skills and training necessary in a hands-on context,” Hartley said. “One of the classes I teach is clinical studies and in this course, students are learning to become a certified nurse aide. These students recently completed 40 hours of clinical training in a hospital setting taking care of assigned patients on a medical floor. It was gratifying to see what they learned in the classroom setting and apply it to the real world.”

Having taught for more than eight years in the district, she’s seen plenty of students and there are many stories.

“I got to see three of my former students who went through the health science program receive their CAN certification,” Hartley said. “[They’re] now working as a nurse tech II at this facility. It was fulfilling to see these students working and building their success stories after graduation and knowing I had a part in it.”

In addition to teaching classes in the health science field, Hartley strives to build authentic relationships where students not only learn health science curriculum but empathy, care, compassion, support, trust, communication and mutual respect.

While Hartley enjoys teaching, coming into education was an adjustment for her. She explains that the education world is different from the nursing world but offers advice to first year teachers that was gifted to her.

“The advice I would give to a new teacher is the same advice I received. Your first year of teaching will most likely be the most challenging but each year will improve and you will feel more confident. Do not give up and when you are feeling discouraged. Do not hesitate to talk with someone and know what you are feeling someone else has more than likely felt or experienced it as well. Be patient with yourself and let each day be a learning experience to grow professionally.”

As her district’s Teacher of the Year, she has different obligations and meetings to attend which has been a fun whirlwind for her. The professional development opportunities have been motivating for Hartley as she’s connected with teachers and professionals across the state.

Connecting with teachers, professionals and being honored is great for Hartley but she truly believes that the impact teachers have on students’ lives is probably the most important of all.

She reflects on the Maya Angelou quote, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

“I feel this quote embodies the soul of teaching and having a marked effect, impression or impact on a student is one of the greatest contributions to education. Putting in the effort, time, dedication and commitment to work with students and showing them that you care through an encouraging and nurturing environment,” Hartley said. “This is what I enjoy about teaching: helping students know they have a journey in life, seeing their growth, success, passion and drive to become a future healthcare professional and witnessing first-hand engagement and the excitement from them when their curiosity is piqued by a meaningful lesson or new skill they have learned related to the health care profession.”

The other teachers of the year in district four representing each school are as follows: Lexington Four Early Childhood Center’s Stephen Jeffcoat, Sandhills Primary’s Leanna Hammond, Sandhills Elementary’s Mandy Burgess, Frances Mack Intermediate’s Tonya Rangel, Sandhills Middle’s Kara Hunter and Swansea Freshman Academy’s Megan Nicholas.