Mr. Elliot, the Civics and Economics teacher at ECHS is awarded the Teacher of the Year Award for 2023-2024.
Who is Mr. Elliot anyway? He is a teacher, a husband, and a father. He is a mentor to his students and a great colleague among his team of educators. Though some students might view him as the “lanyard police,” he deeply cares about his Firebird family and their safety.
Those who have taken his class can testify to his ethical character. Levi Spencer, a sophomore that took Mr. Elliot’s Civics course, states, “…I think his genuine demeanor and his very honest attitude is very nice, and I also value his constructive criticism because he always says something positive.”
Mr. Elliot shows immense dedication to teaching at this school. Not only does he have his kids of education, but he also has two amazing children and a German Sheperd, Frankie. He commutes from the far reaches of Myrtle Beach to show up and grant his gift of educating.
I interviewed Mr. Elliot on his reason for his commitment to his job despite living so far away. He stated, “Retirement. …I can retire in North Carolina in nine years, but in South Carolina, it’s 30…It was the best closest job to Myrtle.” When asked about his experience here at the Early College, he expressed the school as, “Wonderful. I’ve enjoyed it all the time…I tell people to teach if they have the passion for it…I love to spend the whole day learning and see others learn.” At the end of the interview, he gave a great final message: “If you focus on the positives, the ancillary negatives fade out.” Overall, Mr. Elliot expressed his love for our school and the dedication he has toward the Firebird family.
We have collected several quotes from previous students of Mr. Elliot. Macy Aull stated, “[He is] thorough with his teaching and he makes sure everyone does their best work possible, not just their minimal effort. He creates a very encouraging and open environment to ask questions and he values collaboration.” Zachary Gogluicci stated, “He is very passionate about the subjects he teaches and will always help you and give numerous examples.”
Mr. Elliot is not just a keystone to the students at ECHS, but to the staff too. Ms. Adams, a social studies teacher at ECHS stated, “First of all, I love Mr. Elliot. He is an incredible teacher. He is a source of strength for us among our staff and is a wonderful leader. He is one of the smartest people I know, and he has so many great ideas for how to run a social studies classroom. He also has a very dry sense of humor! You have to listen closely, and he is hilarious.”
Overall, students and staff at ECHS can agree Mr. Elliot has earned the Teacher of the Year Award because of his solicitude for the Firebird family, zeal for teaching, and finally his connectivity through his humor.
