AB Combs' Teacher of the Year 

Pam Almond

As a North Carolina Teaching Fellow, I graduated from Appalachian State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education (K-6) in 1992. I have taught for 15 years, five years of first grade and ten years of kindergarten. My hobbies include reading, boating, vacationing, and spending time with family and friends. I have been married for 14 years to my husband George and we have two children.

Having taught eight of my fifteen years of teaching at A.B. Combs Elementary, I have had the opportunity to work with some of the greatest educators in the world. I feel so honored to have been selected by these amazing teachers as A.B. Combs’ Teacher of the Year. Working at A.B. Combs under our leadership model, has challenged me, inspired me, and shaped me into the teacher that I am.  

Being a teacher has been a lifelong dream of mine. When I was a little girl, I couldn’t wait to grow up and be a teacher just like my favorite uncle and my own wonderful teachers. My vision was to help children meet their full potential by loving them, involving them in their own learning, and inspiring them to have fun while learning. Many years later, I am living that lifelong dream.

It is my belief that all children can learn if given the chance by someone who loves them.  I lovingly refer to my students as my little “Almond Joys.” Doing so cultivates a sense of family in our classroom which, by the way, is decorated in a candy theme! From the minute my students walk into my classroom, until the minute they leave for summer vacation, I let them know that they matter to me and that I believe in them. I’ve learned that children live up to the expectations of others, so I believe in setting high expectations. With those high expectations, I cultivate an environment in which they know that it is okay to take risks and make mistakes. They even witness me making a few mistakes of my own!  Afterall, it is through our mistakes that we learn!  I believe in celebrating, with high fives, hugs, silent cheers, and words of affirmation, even their smallest accomplishments because it is in these small victories that confidence is built. With that confidence my students can succeed.