Lowndes County Schools Teacher of the Year: Amy Whitehead
VALDOSTA, GA - Amy Whitehead learned early in her career as a mathematics student that getting the right answer is only part of understanding the problem.
Long before she became an instructional lead teacher in the Lowndes High School math department and was named Lowndes County Schools Teacher of the Year, Whitehead studied secondary mathematics education at Valdosta State University.
As her coursework advanced into upper-level mathematics, Whitehead remembers one professor who recognized a particular strength in the way she approached difficult problems.
In Calculus III, there were times Whitehead would work through a complex problem, carefully documenting each step, before reaching a point where she wasn't sure how to finish it.
“I would do all my steps until I got there, and then I would write my professor a little note and say, ‘This is as far as I can go,’” Whitehead recalled.
Her professor noticed that even when she hadn't reached the final answer, Whitehead could clearly demonstrate what she understood and explain the mathematical process that got her there.
“I've held on to that all these years,” she said. “I might not always be able to get to the very end, but I can work, and I can show you how I did it and explain it clearly.”
Nearly two decades later, that lesson has become part of Whitehead's own approach to teaching mathematics: understanding matters, the process matters, and struggling with something difficult doesn't mean you aren't capable of mastering it. Today, she teaches students from ninth-grade Algebra through AP Statistics while also leading fellow educators through math instruction.
It's a philosophy that now guides students across the academic spectrum. But some of her most rewarding work happens with students who arrive in her classroom already convinced they aren't “math people.”
“The thing is, you can do it,” Whitehead said. “You just have to work hard for it.”
Whitehead puts that belief into practice in her Algebra Support classes, particularly when students reach quadratic functions, a unit she describes as one of her favorites to teach. Before students ever touch a calculator, she begins with vocabulary and visuals, treating math almost like learning a new language. Once they move into the Algebra, she breaks complex problems into smaller pieces and celebrates progress along the way, whether a student identifies the correct sign, labels a y-intercept or simply takes the risk of attempting a problem.
For Whitehead, those small successes build toward something bigger. Students who once hesitated to attempt a math problem begin asking questions, working alongside their classmates, and realizing that making a mistake is simply part of learning.
If you spend enough time talking to Whitehead, you’ll find that her investment in Lowndes High School extends far beyond her classroom, and a pattern begins to emerge: it is difficult to find a corner of the school she hasn’t touched.
Her love for the school began before she even graduated college. Whitehead completed her student teaching at Lowndes High School during her final semester at Valdosta State University and quickly found that the school felt like the right fit.
Then, the timing seemed to fall into place perfectly.
Whitehead was set to graduate from VSU in December when a teaching position unexpectedly became available at Lowndes. After spending a semester at LHS, she knew it was where she wanted to be. She accepted the position to return in January, this time as a teacher with her own classroom, and never looked back.
“I really liked it here from the start,” she says. “All these years later, I could not have made a better choice. This is exactly where I am supposed to be.”
Whitehead earned her Bachelor of Science in Secondary Mathematics Education from Valdosta State University and later continued her education at Thomas University, earning a Master of Education in Secondary Education. She also holds certifications in gifted education and AP Statistics.
In the years since, Whitehead’s role at LHS has grown to encompass far more than teaching mathematics. She has served as a class sponsor, mentored new teachers, helped lead school and community service projects, coached soccer, and sponsored student organizations. Today, she serves as one of the faculty sponsors for the Class of 2029, coaches the ninth-grade girls soccer team, co-coordinates the annual Shop With a Viking event and sponsors Friends Fur Life.
Ask her why she continues to take on responsibilities outside of an already busy classroom, and her answer is simple.
“That’s the fun part,” Whitehead said.
For Whitehead, the roles outside of her classroom are another opportunity to build relationships with students and help them discover where they fit.
“I like teaching math, but the fun part is building those relationships and kind of guiding and showing them, ‘Hey, you can do whatever you want to do. You just have to have the guts to go out and get it done.’”
That philosophy is evident in Friends Fur Life, an animal advocacy club that also brings Whitehead’s own story full circle.
Before she ever considered becoming a math teacher, Whitehead planned to pursue veterinary medicine. Years later, when a student approached her about reviving an animal-focused club at LHS, Whitehead found a way to bring that lifelong interest into her work with students.
Today, Friends Fur Life brings together students from across the school who share a love for animals and a desire to serve their community. The group works with local animal welfare organizations, volunteers at adoption events and creates opportunities for students to explore potential careers.
Over the past two years, students have also organized three free community microchip clinics, raising funds and helping provide microchips for approximately 175 pets.
For Whitehead, however, some of the most meaningful results are found in the students themselves.
Many who join the club are quieter students who may not naturally seek out leadership roles. Whitehead has watched them step outside of their comfort zones at community events, greeting families, completing paperwork, assisting animal welfare professionals and confidently talking about something they care about.
The same emphasis on growth carries onto the soccer field.
After coaching early in her career, Whitehead stepped away when she began raising her own family. She returned to the program last year as the ninth-grade girls soccer coach, where she found herself once again drawn to students who are still developing.
“I liked being that building [piece],” Whitehead said of working with younger players.
Whether she is coaching, sponsoring the Class of 2029 or helping with one of the many events happening around LHS, Whitehead sees those experiences as another way to know students beyond a grade in a gradebook.
That sense of connection extends to her colleagues, too.
As Algebra Professional Learning Team Lead, Whitehead helps guide collaborative planning, data analysis, and curriculum alignment for her fellow math teachers. Through multiple changes in Georgia's mathematics standards and the everyday challenges of teaching, she has become a strong believer that leadership does not mean one person having all the answers.
For Whitehead, it means making sure no one has to find those answers alone.
She describes the LHS math department as a team where teachers share ideas, tackle challenges together, and step in for one another when needed.
“Everybody breaks, and everybody has bad days,” Whitehead said. “If I have a bad day, there are going to be the people who fill in the gap. And that’s why nobody ever knows. Somebody’s willing to stand in and help get it done.”
On another day, she said, she gets to be the person who fills that gap for someone else.
It is that community, and the students at the center of it, that has kept Whitehead at Lowndes High School for her entire career.
So when her name was announced as the Lowndes County Schools Teacher of the Year at the district’s annual convocation, Whitehead needed a moment to process it.
“That was crazy,” she said. “That took me a long time to process.”
Her surprise eventually gave way to what she jokingly described as a little “imposter syndrome.”
“Are you sure you want to pick me?” she remembered thinking.
But when Whitehead considered the entirety of her career, including the different students she teaches, the teams she leads, the clubs she sponsors, the colleagues she supports and the school community she has called home since she was a student teacher, she found a description that seemed to fit.
“When you make me say all the things out loud, I guess I really have been all in.” Whitehead said.
All in.
For Whitehead, that might mean helping a student work through an Algebra problem one step at a time. On another day, it could mean coaching a freshman soccer player, helping a student discover a future career through Friends Fur Life, preparing for Shop With a Viking or stepping in when a fellow teacher needs someone to fill the gap.
The setting changes, but the goal rarely does.
Whitehead wants students to leave her classroom, and eventually Lowndes High School, believing they can tackle something difficult, even when they don’t know exactly how they will get to the answer.
It is the same lesson she learned years ago as a mathematics student herself.
The answer matters. But so does having the confidence to start, the determination to keep working, and people beside you who will help you get there.