WTOC Top Teacher: Lacey Phillips

JESUP, Ga. (WTOC) - For 15 years, Lacey Phillips has been shaping young minds in Wayne County, helping students build confidence in math while making sure they know someone believes in them.

Phillips, a fourth-grade math teacher at James Bacon Elementary School in Jesup, said teaching in the community where she grew up makes her work especially meaningful.

“I grew up right here in Jesup, Georgia,” Phillips said.

She said those hometown roots help her connect with students and their families in a deeper way.

“I think it helps with building relationships,” Phillips said. “Building relationships with these kids plays a big part of what’s important to me, too, because a lot of them, I knew their parents. I went to school with their parents.”

Phillips said she feels a strong responsibility to help her students grow and succeed.

“I feel really responsible for their growth and getting them to where they need to be and helping them be successful,” she said.

In the classroom, Phillips focuses on strengthening foundational math skills and helping students understand the reasoning behind what they are learning.

“We work really hard on foundational skills in math,” Phillips said. “I really want them to understand why math works the way that it does, so as they move up and get to more challenging years, moving up to fifth grade, I want them to be well prepared.”

Beyond academics, Phillips hopes to help students grow into well-rounded individuals and feel supported in the classroom.

“I hope they know that I love them, and I care about them,” Phillips said. “We have strict expectations in here, high expectations and all those things I do is because I care about them.”

At the end of the day, Phillips said she hopes her students remember one thing.

“I want them to know that Ms. Phillips cared about them and wanted them to get the most out of life that they can,” she said.