Oliver Ellis

A Teach in the Peach Ambassador

  • School District: Muscogee
  • Grade Level: 4th and 5th Grade
  • Content: Gifted
  • Position: Teacher
  • RESA Region: Chattahoochee-Flint
  • Number of years teaching: 16
Oliver Ellis - Ambassador

Canadian-born and Southwest Georgia-raised, I switched from Pre-Med to Education at UGA and never looked back! I’ve built a beautiful life as a teacher. I married a fellow educator, had three kids, and bought a wonderful home in Columbus, Georgia. I, now, make my living inspiring and engaging the brightest minds in my district.

I’m a long-term stability person who likes to be the captain of my own ship. Teaching fulfills those needs for me! I have a great retirement plan, healthcare, home-buying perks, summers off, and I get to teach in my own classroom with my own style. I sing and dance with my kids, create art, perform skits, and get to talk all day about my favorite things, math and science! I get to share these passions with my students every day. The relationships I create with these students lasts a lifetime, and students are always coming back to tell me how much my class helped them in the future. If you’re considering education because you are unfulfilled in your current career or college program, teaching will fill your cup. It has done so for mine, and it currently runneth over!
Love those kids. You might be the one brightspot in their day where they feel seen. All kids deserve a teacher who cares for them. Take the time to learn more about them. Ask them about themselves. Check on them. Build those relationships! The better you get at that, the easier your job will be. You can also show that love in different ways: Teaching with passion to bring out theirs. Teaching them life skills like discipline, respect, and perserverance. Going to their performances/games. Checking on them when they seem to be struggling. Cutting them some slack when things just aren’t going their way. Celebrating them for their achievements in class. Holding them to a standard you know they can achieve. All of these things can mean THE WORLD to your students, and each student you can reach makes a real difference in this world. We appreciate you so much for taking on this challenge. You got this!
I love sharing my passions. I love science. I love math. I love geeking out over them and getting my students to love them, too! I love my summers. I love my co-workers. I love having the same schedule as my actual chiildren. I love making a difference. I love the autonomy I have earned in my classroom. I love seeing my students out in the world and watching them light up when they see me! I love hearing about their lives as they grow up and seeing where their passions lead them. I get to meet SO many unique students who see the world in so many different and fun ways! I choose to stay in education because I genuinely love it.
Finding a matching district for you in Georgia is absolutely something you can do. However, I can’t recommend enough seeing where the wind may take you! I didn’t get to choose; Life chose for me! We were in a recession, and the only school I could find that was willing to hire a new teacher was an urban Title I school in Muscogee County (one of the larger school districts in the state). The school was Fort Middle School, “”the BEST middle school in the world!”” I was a private school kid from the country, and Muscogee was very different from what I was used to. However, I was able to grow so much as an educator there, and as my teaching got better, I could SEE the difference I was making in my students’ lives. So, I have now made Columbus my home, and I’ve worked at three schools in the district. I got to open up a brand new school at Rainey-McCullers School of the Arts, “”Rise UP!”” following my passion of arts integration. There, I built a great relationship with all my students, but especially my gifted art students and followed that interest to another school, St. Elmo Center for the Gifted. I have had the privilege to teach kids from all over the county, and they have all left an indelible mark on me — helping me grow as a person as much as a teacher. What I know for certian is that I wouldn’t be the person today if I hadn’t taken a job somewhere new and somewhere different. So, whether you find a great match for you or whether you try a new adventure, I think you’re gonna love it here — teaching in Georgia!
As a new teacher, you are going to get SO much advice from teachers, family members, friends, influencers — you name it! Too many teachers try to be like someone else. My advice? Be yourself. Make your classroom into the classroom YOU wish you had growing up. I promise if you enjoy your teaching, your kids will enjoy it, too! Create the classroom you’ve always imagined in your head. I promise you can do it. You just have to be patient, learn, ask questions, and love these kids. I became the teacher I am today because, while I observed others and saught advice, I found my OWN way of teaching that fits who I am. My classroom is designed to be the educational refuge that I wish I had growing up. Engaging, dynamic, inspirational, collaborative, fun, and focused on discovery. To summarize, listen to advice and suggestions from others as it helps you grow, but always remember, don’t try to be anyone else. Be yourself. Kids can tell when you aren’t!
As a new teacher, you are going to get SO much advice from teachers, family members, friends, influencers — you name it! Too many teachers try to be like someone else. My advice? Be yourself. Make your classroom into the classroom YOU wish you had growing up. I promise if you enjoy your teaching, your kids will enjoy it, too! Create the classroom you’ve always imagined in your head. I promise you can do it. You just have to be patient, learn, ask questions, and love these kids. I became the teacher I am today because, while I observed others and saught advice, I found my OWN way of teaching that fits who I am. My classroom is designed to be the educational refuge that I wish I had growing up. Engaging, dynamic, inspirational, collaborative, fun, and focused on discovery. To summarize, listen to advice and suggestions from others as it helps you grow, but always remember, don’t try to be anyone else. Be yourself. Kids can tell when you aren’t!
M.A.T., Biology Major (Pre-Med) switched to Science Education
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