Meet Lindsay Phillips, the 2025 NC Charter School Teacher of the Year

Lindsay Phillips, a kindergarten teacher at Mountain Island Charter School (MICS) in Mount Holly, is the 2025 N.C. Charter School Teacher of the Year. A veteran teacher, she has 20 years of experience in the classroom, having worked for 10 years in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School System and 10 years at MICS. The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) officially announced her Charter School Teacher of the Year recognition in February.

A self-described former “kindergarten crier,” Phillips creates safe spaces in the classroom where her students can learn and grow. Kristen Blair, the communications director for the North Carolina Coalition for Charter Schools, recently caught up with Phillips to hear about her view of kindergarten as a “make it or break it” year, her reflective approach to teaching, and her goals as the Charter School Teacher of the Year.

---

Coalition: You’re in your twentieth year of teaching — a vocation you’ve referred to as a calling. When and how did you realize that? 

Lindsay Phillips: I’ve known since the first grade that I wanted to be a teacher, and that is largely due to my first grade teacher, Mrs. Sink. She made a long-lasting impression on my education. I attended Ashley Park Elementary School in the Charlotte Mecklenburg School System, and every Friday Mrs. Sink would wear her Clemson orange lipstick. We would do a lot of things around the Clemson Tigers. She made learning so fun! I never actually felt like I was learning or that it was hard — just because she put fun into everything we did. We kept in touch for a while after elementary school. She has since passed away.

Faith has always been an important part of my life. As I approached the time to make decisions about my future after high school, I spent a lot of time in prayer, making sure that I was being obedient to the calling that God had placed on my heart for so many years.

Coalition: What drew you to a public charter school — and to MICS?

Phillips: I had been in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools for 10 years, and we were getting ready to move. My boys were about a year out from starting kindergarten, and we were looking for a K-12 place where we could be a family. My sister-in-law happened to reach out and say, “We have a kindergarten spot opening up at Mountain Island Charter School if you’re interested.”

I had always said, “No, I’m going to stay here.” Then I thought, what do I have to lose? When I went into the interview, it was almost like I was interviewing them too, to see if they represented a good fit for my family and me.

Once the interview got started, it was very clear right away that I was supposed to take this chance. So, we did, and here I am 10 years later.

Coalition: You called kindergarten a “make it or break it” year in a recent video from DPI. Why is this year so foundational?

Phillips: For most kids — not all — kindergarten is their official start of school. Some kids will attend a pre-K program or preschool program, so they have some idea of what a structured learning environment looks like. But for others, this is their first experience with school, not just for the kids, but for their families as well.

When you think about walking into this big school, it’s very intimidating. I say that kindergarten is the “make it or break it” year because you can come into school and have a love of learning, or you can come into school and feel like you’re here because you’re told you have to be here. My goal is to make it a place where it’s fun to learn.

I went to kindergarten crying almost every single day because I was homesick. And I told myself that when those students come into my room, I’m going to make sure I love on them extra, because I needed that in kindergarten.

Kindergarten is such a foundational year for kids. It isn’t fun and play and finger painting like it used to be a long, long time ago. It’s like the new first grade. We are teaching kindergartners how to read and write, how to be critical thinkers and problem solvers. If we can take all of those things and make them fun and enjoyable and lay a solid foundation, as students go into first grade they will have that true love of learning. And that was built in kindergarten.

Coalition: You set me up for the next question! Can you share more about how your early challenges as a “kindergarten crier” shaped your approach with your students?

Phillips: This year was huge for me: My own daughter went through kindergarten with me — not in my classroom but in a wonderful teammate’s classroom. It has been a while since I walked the kindergarten journey with my twin boys, who are rising ninth graders. My daughter had a few hard times leaving me, and I saw some other students in my room who had the same challenges. I just made sure that parents knew their kids were going to be loved and feel safe when they were in the classroom — and that the student knew that as well.

It’s hard to teach children when they don’t feel loved and safe. That’s one thing I really try to start from day one in the classroom.

I was the kindergarten crier, but my kindergarten teacher invested in me, and she cared about me. She made it a little bit easier each day for me to take those independent steps into her classroom. I try to do those same things and foster that caring, loving learning environment for others, where school may be a challenge.

Coalition: What is reflective teaching, and how do you work to integrate it into your classroom?

Phillips: I feel like I can never turn my brain off. There will be times when I wake up in the middle of the night and something hits me. I think, “Oh my gosh, that’s a great idea! Or, oh my gosh, I can’t believe I taught that this way! Now I know why they don’t understand.”

I will literally jot little notes so that when I go in the next morning, I know I’ve got to get this ready or try this. Education and learning are ongoing, and if you are not a reflective teacher, then I don’t think you’re pushing yourself to get better or grow your craft. I’ve done this for 20 years. Yet there are no two days that are the same in kindergarten. I’ve gone back and changed or retaught lessons I’ve taught before,  just because I saw something didn’t go right. I know I’ve got to brainstorm, meet with my team, and try it again.

So, being a reflective teacher has really helped me grow my craft and evolve.

Coalition: Earlier this year, DPI announced your recognition as North Carolina’s 2025 Charter School Teacher of the Year. What was that like, and what are your goals for this year?  

Phillips: It was a shock. I had a very hard time — not in accepting it, but I started the question with, “Why me?” Across the past four to five months, after being with my regional team, my question to myself now is, “Why not me?”

I am humbled but so excited about the path laid before me. My goals are, number one, to learn more about charter schools and how they fit into the public school system. That is one thing that I feel convicted about. I teach in a charter school, but I need to know more. I want to know more about charter schools from the state perspective and about our specific charter for Mountain Island Charter.

Another goal I’ve set for myself within our K-12 campus is to mentor and help strengthen relationships across our school community. We have an incredibly talented group of educators, and there’s so much we can learn from one another. I’m passionate about supporting teachers who may be feeling the weight of burnout and using this opportunity as a fresh start — not just for myself, but as a way to help rejuvenate and inspire others as well.

It is very neat that Dr. Jake Wilson (also of MICS) is the 2025 Charter School Principal of the Year. It has not ever happened before (that the Charter School Principal of the Year and the Charter School Teacher of the Year worked at the same school). Our executive director, Glenn Byrum, brought that to our attention — how we are a part of history. I think that is amazing.

Coalition: What is your favorite charter school moment?

Phillips: I’ve had some great moments. I don’t know if I can narrow it down to one. Since we are a K-12 campus, I get a front row seat in watching my own children’s educational journey. Family, being a part of that, has been huge for me as a teacher mom.

Another favorite moment was the day (school leaders) came to surprise me back in December and let me know that I was the final one (for Charter School Teacher of the Year). One of my former students that I taught in kindergarten in CMS performed at that event. His family has since transitioned schools to MICS. But that was a full circle moment of teaching this child in kindergarten who is now in college and is a performer. He got to be a part of that.

In the classroom, it’s the everyday moments in our morning time together of creating a family. At the beginning of the year, I start with babies. By the time they leave me and they go to first grade, they are mini adults. So, it’s the moments when we’ve gotten to create a classroom family and a community and build that trust with one another.

Coalition: Is there anything I didn’t ask that you believe is an important part of this conversation?

Phillips: At the end of the day, when I look at myself, I feel like I’m a teacher’s teacher. I am in that classroom to teach children. All of the other things are important, but some of those are out of my immediate control. What I do have control over are those 20-something babies who come into my classroom who need me.

Honestly, I need them. I have learned so much from my students over these last 20 years, and I love still having relationships with those kids I’ve taught years ago. One thing about me is when I’m in that classroom, I’m focused on doing what is best for children — making sure they have what they need, whether that is food, clothing, or a math or literacy intervention.

I’m looking at the whole child and making sure that I’m preparing them not just for the next grade level but for life outside the classroom.

---

You can learn more about Phillips from WBTV and WSOC-TV. You can also watch the DPI video highlighting her perspectives and Teacher of the Year role.