El Dorado School District

Congratulations to the 2022-2023 El Dorado School District Teacher of the Year, Mrs. Amy Lester!

Mrs. Lester loves seeing how kids think and listening to their reasoning. “They have amazing ideas and perspectives,” she said. “Teaching kindergarten allows me the privilege of setting the foundation of their education. I get to teach kids to read, write, learn how to add and subtract numbers, and so much more!” Some of the best moments in her classroom have been observing her students’ confidence grow through the hands-on activities and daily life lessons.

Mrs. Lester believes that, at the end of the day, every student can and wants to learn. “It is my job to move them forward and promote a positive outlook on their education.” She sees teaching as a lifelong process where you learn new strategies, ideas, and philosophies each year. Teachers have to “be willing to grow, reflect, and learn to be better than [they] were the day before.”

After graduating with a degree in Early Childhood Education from Southern Arkansas University in 2011, Mrs. Lester began her teaching career. In the last 11 years, she has taught in the El Dorado School District, Magnolia School District, and Fountain Lake School District in Hot Springs. Her career began at Hugh Goodwin in the fall of 2011, but she spent four years in other districts after she married her college sweetheart. When they moved back to El Dorado, Mrs. Lester returned to Hugh Goodwin, where she has been teaching kindergarten for the last five years. She has been married to her husband, Cannon, for 10 years, and they have two children: Hayes (8) and Steele (5). Hayes is in second grade at Hugh Goodwin, and Steele will become a part of the Gator family when he begins Kindergarten this fall. Her husband, originally from El Dorado, is the Head Baseball Coach for the South Arkansas Stars. If they aren’t at home, you can probably catch them at the ball field!

Thank you, Mrs. Lester, for your continuous dedication to the students of the El Dorado School District!