A Patrick Elementary School computer science teacher, Buford resident Amber Melander, has been selected as one of 25 semifinalists for 2026 Gwinnett County Teacher of the Year.
The 25 semifinalists were chosen from an initial list of 141 local school Teachers of the Year who were nominated by their colleagues at their respective schools.
Gwinnett County Public Schools will hold a banquet Jan. 30 to honor the finalists and name the county’s top educator.
The North Gwinnett Voice corresponded with Melander on what she enjoys about being an educator and her approach to teaching. Here is the full Q&A:
• North Gwinnett Voice: What does it mean to you to be selected as a semifinalist for 2026 Gwinnett Teacher of the Year?
• Amber Melander: Being chosen as a semifinalist for Teacher of the Year is a huge honor for me. I work with some of the kindest and most passionate people around. I am humbled and honored that they have chosen me to represent them and the hard work they do.
• NGV: Tell me about your educational background — high school? College?
• AM: I attended a small high school in a rural town, Morris, IL. I got my Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Northern Illinois University and my Master of STEM Education from Walden University.
• NGV: How long have you been teaching?
• AM: I have been teaching for 20 years.
• NGV: How long have you taught at Patrick Elementary School?
• AM: I moved to Georgia in 2017, and I have been teaching at Patrick since that time.
• NGV: Why did you go into teaching?
• AM: When I first started college, I did not intend on being a teacher. During my freshman year, I began tutoring high school students in math to help pay for tuition. During one of my tutoring sessions, I realized that helping students find joy in learning and solving problems was for me. I changed my major the next week.
• NGV: What do you enjoy most about being an educator?
• AM: I enjoy getting to build relationships with students so they feel safe taking risks. I also like getting to show them that they can do difficult things if they take that risk and keep trying.
• NGV: What is your overall approach to teaching?
• AM: As an educator, it has always been my philosophy that failure is something to be celebrated because it means we tried, and we will learn from what went wrong. The moment that students realize this and share that mantra with others means the world to me.
• NGV: Do you have any particularly memorable stories from your teaching career that you would be willing to share?
• AM: One of the most memorable moments from my teaching career was the first Family AI Night that I hosted for Patrick Elementary School. During the event, I got the opportunity to watch students explore new tools and show their parents how they work. My favorite moment from that night was when a student, who usually struggled with grades, showed his mom how to code a robot to deliver a package from one place to another. The sheer joy that small activity brought both the mom and the son was priceless.
