June 26, 2025
Emerick's dedication nets him first year teacher award
For East Carolina University alumnus Nate Emerick ’24, receiving Johnston County Public Schools’ Outstanding First Year Teacher Award was confirmation that he had chosen the right path.
“I love my job, and I always seek opportunities to learn and become a better teacher,” he said. “It was rewarding to see the time and dedication I put into my kids and my school be recognized.”
Emerick is an exceptional children resource and inclusion teacher at West View Elementary where he also assists with co-leading the “Singing Owls Chorus Team” and “Girls on the Run” and attends all PTA meetings, fundraiser events and parent nights.
This involved, hands-on approach is something he advises future teachers to employ. He believes in openly communicating with other teachers, administrators and the parents of students, and most importantly, trying to speak in person.
“This can be especially helpful when discussing difficult topics,” he said. “If you can’t speak in person, call them on the phone so they can hear your voice. An email should be last resort. Your colleagues and administrators will appreciate you taking time to speak to them and giving them a full representation of your intent. Most importantly, your students’ parents will appreciate it as they will see you are personable, available to discuss their child with them and they will see that you genuinely care about their child and want their child to succeed.”
This focus on communication also extends to learning from the veteran teachers in your school. Emerick encourages all young teachers to ask questions and advice from teachers who have been working 10-20+ years.
“My colleagues have been wonderful this year and I ask them tons of questions,” he said. “You must never be afraid to ask for help and you must never be afraid to be wrong. As I tell my students, ‘You don’t grow by being perfect, you grow by failing and trying again.’”
Emerick was inspired to pursue a career in special education from his interactions with an elementary school teacher. Mrs. Arelt (formerly Ms. Wasniewski) was a special education teacher in his Indiana elementary school who supported him through a difficult period in school and set him on a path to success.
“Following her support, I received straight A’s all throughout elementary school, middle school and high school and was able to go to ECU to become a teacher,” he said. “I graduated Summa Cum Laude both in high school and college. I never forgot the impact she made on me, which ultimately led me to wanting to be a special education teacher. I wanted to make the same impact for others as she did for me.”
He was also inspired by his great aunt Paula who was a former special education teacher and the Director of Special Education for his school district who showed him what the job would be like.
“She is one of the strongest advocates for people with disabilities I know and I accredit her for showing me how rewarding the job can be,” he said.
Emerick credits ECU for his writing style and teaching style, which includes his approach to SEL strategies and adapting lessons to accommodate students with specific needs.
“I have been complimented by colleagues at work about how detailed and thorough my IEPs and progress reports are,” he said. “I attribute this to the thoroughness I was taught at ECU and the practice opportunities I was given to build this writing style.”
Many ECU faculty and staff played a pivotal role in Emerick’s development, including Dr. Dionna Manning and the education living-learning community that taught him networking skills and how to build strong relationships. He’s also grateful for Drs. Christopher Rivera, Bethany McKissick and Sarah Vach in special education for sharing their wisdom and skills that he employs in his classroom.
“The opportunities they gave me allowed me time to meet experienced special educators, learn effective instructional strategies, write strong IEP goals, and shape myself into the teacher I can be,” he said. “I owe a great deal of my success in my career today to them.”
While Emerick has implemented many of the lessons he learned at ECU in his teaching, he wants future educators to realize that being in your classroom can be totally different from your college experience.
“Much of what you learn about teaching will be on the job, by making mistakes and trying different strategies until you find one that works,” he said. “Allow yourself to be free and open-minded. Remember, a good teacher can adapt to any school, any classroom, any administrator, any colleague, any parent and, most importantly, any student.”