Recently, English teacher Rebecca Thompson was named the Spartanburg District One Distinguished Literacy Teacher of the year.

Thompson said she thinks she won the award because of her rapport with her students.

“I try to be real with my students, and I hope I got the award because of the relationships I form with the students and the big picture that we try to see in the classroom,” she said.

Prior to coming to Chapman in 2024, Thompson was an assistant principal in Union County.

Principal Matt Davis said he thinks Thompson is a good teacher because she spent time as an administrator.

“When you become an administrator, you see things a little differently than as a teacher,” he said. “You’re looking at the school from one classroom. Now, as an administrator, you get a little helicopter, you get a bigger view. Seeing other teachers teach and some of the best practices, the things that work out there, she’s able to implement that in her classroom.”

Thompson said that winning the award won’t affect her classroom practice.

“Mainly, I think I’m trying to keep helping kids be interested in lifelong learning,” she said. “I know a lot of high schoolers don’t like reading, but a lot of them don’t realize that the shows you watch, the music, they’re all literature, and if you can connect those things all together, you see these common things, themes that you can apply to your life. And that’s what I want my kids to take.”

She also hopes her teaching helps students as people:

“I want my kids to be kind human beings, right, and have great humanity towards one another.”