‘I loved every teacher I had’: Educators highlighted for Teacher Appreciation Week

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) - It’s Teacher Appreciation Week and Horry County as well as the Pee Dee are filled with teachers eager to educate area children.

Beth Hendrick, an educator with Horry County Schools and a 2021 finalist for S.C. Teacher of the Year, said she knew from an early age she would teach one day and it’s because of those who taught her.

“I loved every teacher I had and just had so many special teachers,” Hendrick said. “One that stands out to me was Miss Kulcuca in fourth grade. In her class we had a garden, she got a grant to get the first computers in the school. She loved us like her own.”

Hendrick said she tries making education an experience for her kids because a lot learn by doing. She stressed the memories people make as students in the classroom shape who they are and that’s what teachers help do - shape students for the future.

“It really is the relationships that you build with them that make you come back day after day. It’s kind of like being a mom; you love it and wake up every day excited to see your kids,” Hendrick said. “It’s the same; you wake up every day excited to see your kids in the classroom.”

Hendrick’s favorite quote is “Teamwork makes the dream work” and she said she’s appreciative of all teachers.

Horry County Adult Education Director Etta Carter has been passionate about educating students for 22 years. She spends most of her time at the Horry County Adult Education School. She works with people who might not have finished school and want help.

Carter said being a great teacher is all about the love an educator has for people.

“When you believe in them and they in turn believe in themselves, that’s the greatest satisfaction from this job,” Carter said.

She said the opportunities she can help people reach are what make her happy to come to work.

“I’m a lawyer, I’m a preacher, I’m a teacher in D.C. I’m all of these things because I helped them get there,” Carter said. “It’s just one of those things that makes life worth living.”

She said her students are family for life and she wants all her students to know to always go after their dreams.

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