Amanda Crowder’s superpower is teaching.

Crowder is starting her third year as a teacher, and her first as a fulltime time teacher at Escambia County Middle School today. She is teaching fourth grade math and science.

Last year, Crowder worked as a long-term substitute teacher until the school year ended, when she was hired.

Crowder said she loves children, and that’s a key reason why she teaches.

“I have a love for children, and the fact that making sure that our future adults have solid knowledge that they’ll need to become the wonderful people I know they will be one day,” she said. “There are no two children that are that same. Teaching has probably taught me that this is the hardest job, however, it’s the most rewarding job. What you don’t get in salary like a doctor or lawyer gets; what you get is the knowledge that they’re walking away with much more than that. They’re taking the knowledge of how to grow up and become the most wonderful person they could possibly become.”

Crowder was born in Tennessee, grew up in Murphy, N.C. and moved to Michigan. Her parents, Kathy Sevilla and Edward Crowder, were foster parents, which gave the ECMS teacher good experience of taking care of children at a young age.

“Every since I was about 4, I’ve always wanted to do something to help kids,” she said. “At first, I wanted to be a pediatrician, but then I realized that I would have to hurt them by giving shots, and those sort of things. My mom suggested teachers. Teachers help kids. Ever since then, that’s been my dream. I’ve overcome a lot of hurdles to get here, but I’m here and so incredibly thankful and blessed that I’m here today.”

A big hurdle Crowder overcame was breast cancer.

She went to college at a variety of schools with a stint at a community college in Michigan. Then, Crowder moved to New York, where she went to Queens College.

“Then, I got breast cancer,” she said. “I had two student teaching semesters, and I had to place that on hold. When I placed that on hold, I ended up going through my treatments, and meeting my then fiancé. He lives in Texas, and after moving to Texas, I re-did my schooling ever again.”

Crowder said she went to the University of Houston-Clear Lake, but what helped her through the diagnosis was having the right attitude and the fulfillment of a promise she made to her grandfather, Charles Crowder.

“It was very hard to go through,” she said. “When you have the right attitude, you can pull out of anything. I made a promise to my grandpa to finish college before he passed away. That’s why I finished college, ultimately based on the fact that I love children and wanting to teach them.”

Crowder said she wants to be like a teacher that her students will look back on and be thankful they like math or science.

She said she’s pretty excited about today’s start to the new school year.

“It’s a passion,” Crowder said about teaching. “I grew up in the beginning part not being in love with school. I didn’t like it for the most part. School wasn’t my forte.

“It wasn’t my thing,” she said. “I didn’t like learning, but then I had certain teachers that changed my perspective of school. Once I found my love of learning, I didn’t want to let it go. It’s pretty incredible.”