Special Education Teacher Amanda Bowen is a student-favorite at Harpursville Junior-Senior High School, priding herself on personal connections and being a mentor, something she learned from a role model early on. 

"My fifth-grade teacher, she was just kind and caring and I just hoped that I could be like that someday. And, you know, ever since then, I that was just what I wanted to do," Bowen said. 

Earning her master's in Special Education from SUNY Geneseo, Bowen got her first exposure to teaching through a child development class during her senior year of college

Now in her 12th year at Harpursville Junior-Senior High School, this teacher of the week still takes lessons from those first days. 

"Just seeing kids happy has just been a huge part of why I am doing what I do. I love, you know, being a highlight of students days," Bowen said. 

From teaching her students math lessons to grabbing a quick snack with them, or hosting collaborative times, Bowen always looks to create a safe haven for students. 

"I try to always ask like how their day is going, you know, and you can just tell by sometimes their demeanor, you know, if something's going on and just trying to make them feel good and, you know, just always checking in on them," Bowen said. 

It isn't just in the classroom that Bowen gets to leave her mark, whether it's her spending time with students during Entrepreneur Club or taking charge of the school's prom as Junior Class Advisor. 

"When we're in prom committee and they're like excited about, you know, getting ready for know their big dance and just seeing them, the happiness come from the things we do together really helps motivate me," Bowen said. 

After helping and impacting hundreds of students, this teacher of the week always wants them to remember one special thing. 

"Be happy and to not give up and to realize their potential because they may not hear it every day, but there's so much growth in the students that you see from when you see them in ninth grade to 12th grade," Bowen said.