ROSEBORO — Randi Kaye Honeycutt always wanted to be a teacher — a dream that began when she was a child.

“I always loved to play school,” she said. “One year for Christmas, I asked Santa Claus for an overhead projector.”

After coming home from school, she would line her Barbie dolls up and acted as a teacher. Anyone else around, including family members, joined in on the fun too.

The childhood dream bloomed into reality after finishing college and becoming a teacher for Sampson County Schools (SCS). This year is her sixth in the district. She was recently honored as the 2018 Teacher of the Year for her work as a first-grade educator at Roseboro Elementary School (RES). The announcement was made by Superintendent Dr. Eric Bracy during a teacher’s banquet hosted by the school district. At the moment, she was a little shocked because of the accolades of others in the room.

“When they announced it, I was very happy,” Honeycutt said about being named the top educator.

As the daughter of Debra and Randy McMillan, Honeycutt grew up in the SCS district and graduated from Lakewood High School (LHS). She had a lot of great teachers, but her parents were also influential in her decision.

“My parent always pushed me to be a teacher,” Honeycutt said. “They saw how I enjoyed it.”

After graduating from LHS, she earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Campbell University in 2010. Later in 2016, she earned a master’s in elementary education from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

She spent a year teaching at Union High School and enjoyed it. But she wanted to be around smaller children.

“I always knew was for the smaller children,” Honeycutt said.

That decision led to her becoming a fourth-grade teacher at RES. Later she chose to switch to a younger group of learners.

“This is my second year at first grade and there’s no other grade level I want to be in,” she said. “I love the kids. I love how you can interact with them. It’s just amazing to be in a first-grade classroom, just to hear what they got to say. They’re honest, 100 percent. I like being with little people.”

At the early education level, Honeycutt enjoys building strong relationships.

“In the upper grades (high school), you only have them for 90 minutes a day,” she said. “We’re in here every day.”

Many RES and SCS officials said her classroom is a warm and inviting place.

“They feel confident in here,” she said. “They’re not afraid to say what they think. It’s a very positive atmosphere in here.”

As an elementary educator, she feels fortunate to be at a school with an 1:1 computing initiative for kindergartners and first graders. This allows every student to have access to a device. In Honeycutt’s classroom, she likes to utilize iPads for reading, testing and recordings for learning purposes.

“I really think having the iPads and really pushing 21st century learners really makes it unique,” she said. “They’re able to express themselves in other ways than just schoolwork.”

Honeycutt expressed how the children are allowed to act out their stories and videotape themselves.

“They get to really use more project-based thinking than just answering the questions on a piece of paper,” she said. “You get to teach the whole child, not just the academic part. I let them go with their strengths (such as arts or writing).”

In 2017, technology is an essential part of education, but Honeycutt believes paper and pencils are important too.

“I like to do a 50/50 because penmanship is still important,” she said about having different experiences.

During the Teacher of the Year announcement, Bracy applauded her involvement in programs for positive behavior and intervention, reading and other educational efforts. She currently resides in the area with her husband Zack Honeycutt, a farmer. When she’s not spending time with her family, Honeycutt will continue to enjoy time with her students and preparing for the regional Teacher of the Year competition.

“I had a lot of great administrators and mentors who prepared me for this adventure,” she said about receiving assistance from leaders such as Principal Tonya Colwell and other in-laws in the education profession. “They always been there for me. I just hope that I can represent Sampson County well.”

Randi Kaye Honeycutt educates students at Roseboro Elementary School.
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_Honeycutt_1.jpgRandi Kaye Honeycutt educates students at Roseboro Elementary School.

Randi Kaye Honeycutt was recently honored as the Teacher of the Year for Sampson County Schools.
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_Honeycutt_2.jpgRandi Kaye Honeycutt was recently honored as the Teacher of the Year for Sampson County Schools.

In her classroom, Randi Kaye Honeycutt uses technology to help her students at Roseboro Elementary School.
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_Honeycutt_3.jpgIn her classroom, Randi Kaye Honeycutt uses technology to help her students at Roseboro Elementary School.

Students use technology in Randi Kaye Honeycutt’s classroom.
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_Honeycutt_4.jpgStudents use technology in Randi Kaye Honeycutt’s classroom.

Honeycutt
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_Honeycutt_mug.jpgHoneycutt
Sampson’s Teacher of the Year shares love of learning

By Chase Jordan

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