Name: Jennifer Ainsworth
School: Socastee High School
Subject(s) taught: Special needs students
Age: 41
Hometown: Socastee
Birthplace: McColl
College: Presbyterian College
Number of years teaching: 7
Favorite memory: “I had a student, Drew Lattin, who had Down Syndrome, and we lost him to cancer, but not before he graduated high school. I was so touched when his parents asked me to walk across the stage with him at graduation. He taught us to make the most of every day. It’s a memory I’ll always cherish.”

Grand Strand Magazine: When did you decide you wanted to be a teacher?

Jennifer Ainsworth: “Because of the interaction with my Sunday School teachers, my school teachers, but mostly my mom, who was a teacher—they all inspired me. I saw how people gravitated toward my mom and the way she taught. She’d teach students fun ways to learn, play baseball with them, and she knew that if they were having fun, they’d learn.”
GSM: What makes a great teacher?

JA: “Teaching kids with intellectual disabilities, I’ve learned that communicating and collaborating with parents makes all the difference. I have to learn from my kids and open my eyes to watch and learn from them.”

GSM: What are your plans for next year?

JA: “I couldn’t imagine not coming back to each child or being in another program. I love this so much. I love high school students.”

GSM: Why do you love high school students so much?

JA: “They come in at age 14 or 15 and I have these kids until they are 21. They come in as sort of middle-schoolers and leave as adults. To see their changes over six or seven years is just amazing. It’s my passion.”

GSM: What are the primary life skills you teach your students?

JA: “I teach students with moderate to mild intellectual disabilities. Some of my students are non-verbal, some can’t write their names, but others have more ability. We work on personal hygiene, safety issues, vocational job skills, bagging groceries—I have a student who’s gotten a driver’s permit. But I have a wide range of students. When my kids graduate they hope to get a job at Bi-Lo, Goodwill. … My students will likely live with their relatives the rest of their lives, or in a group home setting. Horry County doesn’t have a group home like other areas do.”

GSM: How do the other kids in school treat your students?

JA: “There’s no bullying toward my special needs kids, and that’s wonderful. They really seem to love them. They drop by the classroom, socialize with them. My kids are happy almost all of the time.”

GSM: What kind of special training is required to do what you do?

JA: “My degree is in special education. So the training starts right away. Our class motto is,‘We see the ability, not the disability.’”

GSM: As a youngster, were you a good student?

JA: “I was. I didn’t like to get in trouble. I made good grades.”

GSM: So you’re voted Teacher of the Year for not only Socastee High School but also of all Horry County public schools; what’s next?

JA: “It’s a little overwhelming to hear people say it. I’m thrilled with the recognition that special education is getting, but it’s a recognition of all the other teachers who’ve had my kids from pre-school all the way up.”

From Principal Paul Browning:

“Jennifer has a real service mentality, works hard, coordinates the Special Olympics that we host each year. She does a tremendous job with her staff. We let parents, students and teachers make the nominations for Teacher of the Year, then a screening committee of four teachers makes the final selection. We take this award very seriously. Kids from all over Horry County have [benefited] from her hard work and dedication.”