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Western Regional Teacher of the Year on the importance of rural public schools and champions for teachers

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Lydia Sale and her students on a field trip. Courtesy of Lydia Sale

Lydia Sale knows her way around a classroom in Swain County.

Born and raised in Swain as the daughter of a music teacher and a special education teacher, Sale jokes that she’s now entered the “family business.” In addition to her role as a first grade teacher at Swain West Elementary, Sale is also the varsity volleyball coach at Swain County High School, and she serves as one of the coordinators for her school’s leadership team.

This year, she was selected as the Western Region Teacher of the Year.

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For Sale, there was never much of a question about what she wanted to be when she grew up. There’s a photo of her in a pre-K yearbook proudly proclaiming that she was going to be a teacher one day just like her mom, noting that she was excited to attend meetings all day. 

“Now I know we definitely aren’t just sitting in meetings all day long,” she laughs.

While in school at Belmont Abbey College, Sale completed her student teaching in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. She loved the experience, but always knew she would return to her roots. Sale has been teaching first grade for six years in the same school system that raised her.

Sale and a student. Courtesy of Lydia Sale

Home means a lot to Sale. She is passionate about rural communities, and specifically the importance of public education within her community.

“I know that public education has the power to change lives, and it offers that opportunity to everybody, regardless of who you are and where you come from,” Sale said. “There are so many opportunities offered by public education that people in rural areas would not have otherwise.”

When asked about what it means to her to be selected as the Western Regional Teacher of the Year, Sale was visibly moved.

“Growing up in western North Carolina, we are surrounded by so many strong and resilient people. Growing up in a rural area, that’s how we have to be,” Sale said. “All teachers are such strong and resilient people anyways, but to think about the teachers that make things happen in this area, it just blows my mind that I’ve been selected to represent this group of my people. Especially with everything Western North Carolina has gone through this year.”

“Educators deserve to be respected. Educators deserve to be praised,” Sale added. “There are so many things that go into being a teacher, but our work a lot of times goes under the radar. While we’re okay with that, and we know that going into education, I do think that can and should be changed.” 

Sale also believes that giving people a glimpse into public education would help them have a better understanding of the importance of public schools.

“If we can let people in, let them know what we’re doing, let them see the amazing things that are happening in our schools, it gives them an idea of all the good that’s going on,” she said.