A Non-Traditional Path to Excellence

For Amy Litton, becoming a teacher wasn’t at the top of her to-do list when she graduated from college. Instead, her original path was focused in Pre-Med. Yet, as often happen in life, a change of course was just around the corner.

“When I got out of college, I was unsure of what I wanted to do. In that season I decided to substitute teach to make some money and found my passion. When I was interacting with students and saw their process of learning - I felt like I had found my place, like I had found my home.”

Litton began teaching in the early 2000s under emergency certification and went back to school to get her Master’s degree while continuing to educate students in the classroom.

Litton, a biology teacher at LaRue County High School, is a staple of LCHS. Her students thrive in an environment where they are challenged to take the principles and tools they have learned and then use them to solve problems without always having a clear path set before them. Learning in Litton’s class is like discovery.

“The activities Amy uses in her classroom go above and beyond what you might expect in the typical classroom.” says Justin Craft, Principal at LCHS. “It’s above and beyond because she doesn’t stay in her classroom. Recently she embarked on an impressive project to help her students see the real-world application of their learning in a project on the local trails at Knob Creek Conservancy surrounding McDougal Lake here in LaRue County. She is not afraid to jump out and try something new in the pursuit of educating her students.”

“I feel like teaching is a calling,” remarks Litton, “and it’s my calling to be here in the classroom and love them while making them curious about the world around them. I want them to ask questions and ponder why the things around them are the way they are.”

“One of the things we value here at LCHS is the ability of our teachers to think outside the box” says Craft. “Amy Litton embodies this in her work in the building and in the community. She puts true action to the lessons her students are learning in the classroom. She is truly one of the most gifted educators I have had the honor of working with.”

Litton is one of four nominees for the LaRue County Schools ExCEL Award sponsored by WHAS-11 with corporate partner, Miracle Playgrounds of Kentucky and Indiana.