- December 13, 2024
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In her 28 years of teaching, Elizabeth Bing has worked with both middle and high school students.
But her heart, she said in a statement to the Observer, is with middle schoolers.
"It is a tough age, and I enjoy helping them find their confidence," Bing said.
Bing was named Hinson Middle School's Teacher of the Year, a recognition she said she felt honored and humbled to receive after being selected by her colleagues. She currently teaches AVID, or Advancement Via Individual Determination, a college and career preparation program for students taking advanced classes, she said.
"We focus on writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization, and reading," she said. "My favorite thing about teaching AVID is I get to see my students grow from sixth graders and develop into true leaders in eighth grade. I really get attached!"
Her best piece of advice for students?
"My best piece of advice for students is that school and life won’t always be easy," Bing said. "It’s how you react to adversity that shows your true character.
She decided to become a teacher after realizing in college that every job she loved in her early life revolved around working with kids: She worked as a preschool daycare worker, YMCA coach, babysitter, summer camp counselor and after school program leader. These jobs, she said, helped her pay her way through college at Florida State University where she was captain of the women's water ski team.
She graduated with a degree in english education in 1991.
Bing started building the AVID program at Hinson with sixth graders, and this year, they'll be moving on to high school.
"I couldn’t be prouder of the young adults they are becoming," Bing said. "This is the true reward of teaching."
When she's not in the classroom, Bing said she spends her time with her husband and four children, who span from elementary to high school age. It's all about sports, travel, cooking and family time in her household, she said.
