After 29 years of teaching, Jennifer Carter has officially retired. At the end-of-year staff luncheon on Tuesday, June 2, Carter was honored by the RCS staff. Members of her sixth grade team, Tim Ess and Judith Clayton gave a special presentation, reflecting on her incredible teaching career.
Ess joked that everyone has felt her anticipation for her last day because of how often she reminded everyone of how many days she had left. The pair shared about Carter’s career, which started at Reidville Intermediate Elementary where she taught fourth grade. She then spent the rest of her first 19 years at Woodland Elementary, North End and South Elementary is Caswell County before coming to RCS in August of 2016 to finish out her final 10 years as a middle school social studies teacher. In that time, Carter acquired her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction, earned her National Board Certification, secured Teacher of the Year three times (twice at Southern Elementary and once at RCS), was named the Danville Regional Foundation Educator of the Year in 2015 and was recognized as WRAL Teacher of the Week in 2023. “How blessed we have been to have this bubbly, intelligent, stylish breath of fresh air teacher grace our halls for such an extended period of time,” Ess said.
Clayton talked about how Carter’s first few years of teaching were overwhelming because of requirements and demands from administrators, but that those tough experiences helped shape her into a better teacher and created her foundation in education.
Ess went on to explain that as a young student, Carter struggled in school, saying she was not the traditional “I love school” student who eventually becomes a teacher, which was hard to believe because of the incredibly engaging teacher she became. “Her struggles in school are what I believe catapulted her into becoming the teacher she is, one who see potential in all individuals, no matter their academic abilities or differences,” he shared. “She sees bright futures in everyone, not just the academically gifted and polished.”
They continued to talk about all the things Carter was sure to miss like encouraging and counseling students and all the things she wouldn’t miss like the noise level in the cafeteria and doing car duty every day, but they ended their remarks sharing how much everyone, including students, parents, and colleagues, will miss her and her cheerful nature. Ess called her a “human magnet” because of how much her current and former students wanted to be around her. “We need more Jennifer Carters in the world…” Ess said.
Middle school principal, Jamel Jones talked about when he would be having a tough day, he could go sit in her classroom and feel a little better because she was happy every day. He said that there are good teachers, great teachers and master teachers, and Carter was a master teacher, one that will be missed.
Carter then got up and shared her appreciation for RCS, specifically the teachers, calling RCS a special place. “It’s your devotion and it’s your commitment to these kids day in and day out that is contagious, that builds us and makes us who we are and makes RCS an amazing place to be,” Carter said. “We have each been blessed to be a part of it.” She added her appreciation for the administrators for trusting the teaching staff to do their jobs and allowing them to actually teach. “What makes RCS unique is they [administration] just let you just go in a room and teach,” she said. “They trust you to love your kids, do it well, and if they [teachers] don’t that’s when y'all [administration] come in and you fix it, but the rest of us that are doing it right, you let us do it.”
We are so thankful for the 10 years Mrs. Carter has been with us. She has left an incredible mark on every student, parent and staff member she came in contact with. We will miss seeing in the dining hall and outside doing parking lot duty, but most of all, we will miss her smiling face in her classroom! Thank you for all you have done for RCS, Mrs. Carter!