Believing that love creates a positive environment where all children can learn and thrive, long-time elementary educator Amy Kellogg has a knack for teaching her students and instilling them with a great work ethic regardless of any circumstances they may bring with them to school.
The first grade teacher was recently named winner of the Kathy Cox Elementary Educator Merit Award. Kellogg was presented the statewide honor at the 20th annual Excellence in Education awards banquet on April 30 by the Professional Oklahoma Educators (POE) Foundation.
The Kathy Cox Elementary Educator Merit Award is named in honor of the late Mrs. Kathy Cox, an outstanding 20-year veteran educator. Cox was a charter member of Professional Oklahoma Educators and served as the Plainview Schools POE leader. Cox was an outstanding dynamic elementary teacher.
“Teaching is the absolute best job in the world,” Kellogg said. “In fact, it doesn’t feel like a job, but rather a blessing that I have been given. I get to go to “work” each day and make a lasting difference in a child’s life.”
For the past 17 years, Kellogg has taught at North Rock Creek Elementary. Prior to that, she spent eight years at Shawnee Public Schools. She is the local POE chapter president, a worship leader and music coordinator at Aydelotte Baptist Church, and a member of the Choctaw Nation. Kellogg earned her Bachelor of Science in Education degree from Oklahoma Baptist University.
According to North Rock Creek’s superintendent Blake Moody, Kellogg is a top-notch educator who never stops learning.
“Amy has proven to have high expectations of her students,” Moody said. “I believe her students are able to meet these expectations because she has a knack for developing an effective respect and rapport with them.”
Fellow educator Madison Landreth attributes Kellogg’s big heart to her amazing teaching success. “Amy’s heart is what makes her students love her and want to do their best.”
An example of Kellogg’s success and legacy can be seen in former elementary student Dalton Lee Smith, who sees Ms. Kellogg as surpassing the ordinary. Smith is now a professional Christian recording artist. In 2019, he recorded a single with contemporary Christian band Big Daddy Weave, called “You Go Before Me,”
“My single was on the Billboard 100 for Adult Contemporary Songs and all of this wouldn’t be possible without Ms. Kellogg seeing something in me that was greater than myself at the time,” Smith said.
The Excellence in Education Awards Banquet recognizes and rewards Oklahoma educators who demonstrate a commitment to their students in teaching strength of character and excellence in the school or classroom. Award nominees must go through a rigorous application and evaluation process. According to POE Foundation Executive Director Ginger Tinney, “These awards serve as an encouragement to not only Oklahoma educators, but also to the many businesses, organizations, and communities that have a stake in the character building and intellectual development of the children who will shape our state in the future.”
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About POE Foundation: The Professional Oklahoma Educators Foundation is a nonprofit that serves as the charitable arm of Professional Oklahoma Educators. The Foundation serves as a support organization for POE and provides valuable educational training and services to teachers and students across the state. The POE Foundation is dedicated to promoting a world-class education for all Oklahoma students.
About POE: Professional Oklahoma Educators is the fastest-growing education association in Oklahoma. POE is a non-union, nonpartisan professional association for all school personnel. POE members receive professional liability insurance, legal services, and lobbying representation. It is our commitment to these valuable services that make POE a positive and unmatched option for education employees in today’s teaching environment.