Henrico's Top Teachers – Wiley Hunnicutt

Trying her hand at a few jobs before stepping into her current career, Wiley Hunnicutt worked in a retirement home, an outdoor equipment store and even spent summers as a white water raft guide.

But, she said, “I knew I needed to get back to my roots of literature and writing, and I thought teaching English was the best way to do that."

For the past 18 years, she's been doing just that. She attributes her interest in teaching to two fantastic English teachers from high school and her father, who also was a teacher.

Through them, she was able to experience the impact teachers had on her and witness their impact on other students, but she also saw how difficult teaching could be.

“It wasn't until later in my twenties that I got into teaching just because I knew how hard teaching is,” she said laughing.

Hunnicutt has had no shortage of difficult times herself. Seeing her students go through tough situations is never an easy task.

“Some kids have a really, really rough life,” she said. “There are some moments where I feel like I am not making the impact I would like.”

Although they may be hard, those moments don’t stop her. Hunnicutt strives to build good teacher-student relationships. She also finds it rewarding to see that her students recognize that they matter to her.

“Making an impact on young people's lives is what keeps me coming back every year,” she said.

Hunnicutt finds it important to be honest with her students as well, letting them know they are going to struggle but that there are ways to move past that.

She loves using literature and characters' lives within stories to teach her students to become more empathetic human beings.

“Mrs. Hunnicutt takes the time to teach 'how to' read and write but also 'why' should students consider becoming good readers and writers as a major goal of their high school education," one student wrote of Hunnicutt. "She is real. She is honest."

Hunnicutt tries to maintain perspective with her students.

“If something is hard and you don't do well, it's OK – it's not the end of the world,” she said. ”Sometimes the outcome is even more rewarding.”