Amanda Royster

Carl Junction High School, 9-12 (Library Media Specialist)

By Amy Howe

Amanda Royster’s path to teaching started at a young age, when she was influenced by Anne of Green Gables from the age of four. “She was the first fictional character I remember falling completely in love with,” said Amanda. “I watched Anne of Green Gables on repeat with my grandmother, who babysat me while my mom was at work. I couldn’t get enough of her story. Anne was clever, hard-working, independent. She was a reader and eventually a teacher. She was, simply put, everything I wanted to be.”

Ultimately, it was Amanda’s high school language arts and gifted teacher, Anne Nicolas, who inspired her to teach. “She was brilliant--undoubtedly the most intellectually curious adult I had met at that point in my life,” said Amanda. “Even more impressive than her content knowledge was her ability to meet her students where they were and support them however she could. Before I walked into Ms. Nic’s room, my perception of the teaching profession was incomplete. Anne Nicolas showed me the why. She is why I am here, investing in kids in the same building she invested in me.”