Samantha Hoops, a math teacher at Owensboro High School, is one of 22 educators selected to serve as GoTeachKY teacher ambassadors for 2022.
“A passion for teaching and learning and a love for kids are the two things that drive me most in my career,” Hoops said. “I am a lifetime learner and researcher of educational topics, always seeking to grow in the field of teaching and be a resource for my colleagues. This is one reason I am excited about being a GoTeachKY Ambassador, because this program will allow me to not only continue my own growth journey as a teacher, but also to connect with other educators across the state who share that same passion for teaching and learning.”
The mission of GoTeachKY, a Kentucky Department of Education initiative, is to ensure that all students across the Commonwealth have equitable access to effective educators.
Ambassadors were selected from a pool of applicants across the state who answered the call for teachers interested in supporting the initiative and helping promote the teaching profession. They have three goals:
- Communicate with and inspire students in high school and college to consider teaching as a career;
- Communicate with potential and current teachers to positively capture the rewards and opportunities associated with a career in teaching; and
- Support and promote the central focus areas, programs and organizations of GoTeachKY, such as Educators Rising and the Teaching and Learning career pathway.
“As a parent of a child in the public school system, I see the need for quality teachers who care about their students and love what they d,” Hoops said. “There is a critical teacher shortage right now, and we need educators to promote the field of teaching and inform others about the different routes to becoming a certified teacher. Being a GoTeachKY Ambassador can support that initiative, and I am thankful for the opportunity to be one of 22 educators across the state in this program.”
Hoops is a 2006 graduate of McLean County High School and a 2010 graduate of Western Kentucky University. She began her teaching career as a substitute teacher in both McLean County and Hopkins County.
“While fulfilling a full-time sub position, I fell in love with the world of education and realized how much I enjoyed working with high school students,” she said.
She obtained a master’s in teaching and later her Rank 1 in School Counseling from the University of the Cumberlands.
This is my Hoops’ 10th year in education. She had stops in Ohio County and McLean County before accepting a position at OHS in 2020. and joined the Red Devil family. Hoops and her husband Jason recently moved to Owensboro with their son Parker, who is a 3rd grader at Sutton Elementary School.
