HANOVER COUNTY, Va. -- A teacher in Hanover County has received quite a lot of attention beyond her classroom. News Anchor GeNienne Samuels, along with photojournalist Chris Jenkins, took a trip to Atlee High School to meet Mrs. Avanti Yamamoto, who isn't just teaching math; she's transforming lives, one equation at a time.
In her classroom, room 909, you won’t find rows of desks and silent note-taking.
Instead, this classroom is a vibrant hub of activity, where learning is hands-on and interactive, which according to her students, makes Algebra II and Pre-Calculus fun.
“I like this class because it's different from a lot of math class in previously whereas we do a lot of… worksheets … I like this class because it's different from a lot of math class in previously where as we do a lot of like worksheets. We stand up and write on the boards and we like really figure out the process ourselves," 11th grade student Cora Feighner said.
This special approach to teaching, is a big win in her classroom and equates to well-calculated outcomes.
“Most of the other teachers don’t go through the problems and stuff. She actually goes through the problems and shows you how to do it," 10th grade student Max Baedke said.
Mrs. Avanti Yamamoto, affectionately known by her students as Mrs. Y, has captured the hearts and minds of learners across all grades who enter her room.
“She'll go out of her way to help a student," 11th grade student Brandon Harvey said. "It just shows how determined she is to her job and how much she likes her job.”
Harvey described Yamamoto as “determined.”
“She is always willing to help a student and she will go out of her way. She's doing something she'll go out of her way to help a student. , it just shows how determined she is to her job and how much she likes her job.”
Yamamoto is making good on her simple yet profound teaching philosophy.
“I believe that every child is a capable learner and they're capable of learning and succeeding at high levels.”
Yamamoto’s winning formula of instruction earned her the Teacher of the Year awards at the school, county, regional, and state levels.
“I truly feel like it has nothing to do with me. It has everything to do with the students and every child that’s walked through room 909 has taught me how to be a teacher," Yamamoto said.
“Winning these awards is really just validation that maybe I'm doing something right. (laugh) Maybe listening to kids and hearing what they have to say is really, really important.”
And… maybe, just maybe… Yamamoto has created the perfect formula to help her students subtract doubt, multiply confidence, and divide obstacles, through… Math.
“I can show them and convince them, here’s a subject that you thought you weren't great at look at how capable you are… that can translate into their life and if they realize that they're capable, of doing hard things or what they deem to be hard, when they go into the real world and they are faced with some challenging, hey I can over this… I overcame pre-calculus… this is nothing!
For Yamamoto, the biggest prize of them all isn’t a title, plaque, or trophy.
“I would say the rewards of teaching are pretty intangible. They are seen in the way your students make progress; see a student walk in the first day believing I'm not good at math and watching them the last day flawlessly being able to factor a polynomial like it doesn't even phase them. Those are the benefits or the rewards of teaching.”
“The more that you learn the more that you listen and grow and change your practice the better your students will be. And that's the real reward. Watching your students learn and grow.”
Mrs. Yamamoto has spent eight of her 10-year teaching career at Atlee. The next “award stop” for her will hopefully be national teacher of the year; however, Mrs. Y says that “yes,” that would be a the “cherry on top” but she’s already so grateful for the opportunity she has had to continue to learn and grow with the current recognition she has received.
The 2025 National Teach of the Year will be announced next spring at the White House.
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