WTOC Top Teacher: Chellian McIntyre brings 25 years of patience, love to Savannah classroom

by Mike Cihla

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - A local educator who has dedicated a quarter-century to the classroom is being honored for her commitment to shaping not just students, but future citizens.

Chellian McIntyre, a third-grade teacher at Gadsden Elementary School in Savannah, is this week’s WTOC Top Teacher.

For McIntyre, teaching is about witnessing the spark of understanding in her classroom.

“The feeling you get when a child knows something or learns something, and is able to express that thing—it gives you a joy inside of you that you can’t get anywhere else,” McIntyre said.

While she works daily to help her third graders master their academic concepts and prepare for the Georgia Milestones Assessment System (GMAS) exam, McIntyre’s true goal goes far beyond test scores. She wants to help them grow as individuals.

“I want them to be little persons,” McIntyre explained. “Persons who can think for themselves, persons who know how to differentiate right from wrong, persons who are kind and respectful to others.”

With 25 years of classroom experience, McIntyre has learned what it takes to sustain a long career in education. Her advice for new teachers entering the field is simple but profound.

“You’ve got to have patience, you’ve got to have extra patience, and come into it for the love,” she said. “For the love of teaching, for the love of sharing ideas, and for the love of giving back.”