- December 31, 2025
When it comes to being a teacher, Caitlin Spencer followed in her mother's footsteps.
Not only was her mother an elementary school teacher for over 25 years, she was nominated in her district in North Carolina as Teacher of the Year. Spencer said she would have been thrilled to hear that her daughter had achieved the same at Hinson Middle School.
Spencer's mother died unexpectedly in January, making this experience bittersweet.
"Truly, this nomination is an honor, but a painful one," Spencer said.
Spencer has been an educator at the middle school level since 2018 and is currently teaching seventh grade science.
Teaching, she said, is a definite way to master the concepts and ideas that solve problems efficiently and effectively. It's how her brain works, Spencer said.
"Embedding that passion for understanding the world is something I look forward to conveying to my students daily," she said.
There are many things she enjoys about being a teacher, Spencer said, but her favorite is figuring out what makes her students become engaged and excited about science.
Spencer added that she's challenged daily by her students, but it's part of the fun of teaching. Motivation constantly oscillates, she said, but the better boundaries are established and the more she finds ways to support herself, the more successful her students become. That's a goal she strives for daily.
Teaching is a part of who she is.
"Why did I become a teacher? I have always been a teacher because I was raised by a teacher," Spencer said. "I never decided. I am."
There are many pieces of wisdom she would love to share with her students. As her students are in middle school, her best piece of advice is to "show up and try," and "get out of your own way."
When she's not at Hinson, Spencer's life revolves around her children — chauffeuring them and volunteering for fundraisers. Spencer also enjoys cooking, baking and boating, and loves to hike and push herself outside her comfort zone.
