MURFREESBORO, N.C. — As soon as you walk into the third grade math classroom at Riverview Elementary School in Hertford County, it is obvious there is something special happening inside. And that is all because of teacher Alicia Myrick.
"She's actually the best teacher I ever had," explains student Sariyah Bottoms. "I love her personality," she adds.
News 3 This Morning's Jessica Larche, Erin Miller, Jen Lewis, Myles Henderson and Blaine Stewart visited the classroom in Murfreesboro to speak to the students and learn what makes Myrick, the district's Teacher of the Year, connect with her pupils. We quickly learned if these students are super heroes, it is because their teacher is a real-life Wonder Woman.
"Some days when she's not here, I'm really sad," Bottoms says. "I think when I'm going to come in a classroom, 'oh, I'm seeing Miss Myrick,' and I can... give her a hug, you know? But, then, she's not here," she says.
"I worked hard to try to get myself enough, get the energy to come back to school," Myrick says.
The past year has taken a toll. Fighting cancer will do that to a person. Myrick was diagnosed with stage 2B Invasive Ductal Carcinoma last summer. The treatments, both physically and emotionally draining, have been nearly nonstop.
"I have been through a lot with chemo treatments, radiation, surgery, and to be able to come back is a blessing," Myrick says. "I mean, I thank God every day for giving me the energy to get back to work."
Some of that energy comes straight from her students, her own pint-sized pack of cheerleaders, handing out hugs and high fives at every turn.
When asked about the lessons she teaches, outside of mathematics, Myrick was quick to answer.
"Be kind to everyone, because you never know what someone's going through outside of school," she said.
Alicia Myrick is living proof that it's not always the lessons you learn from a textbook that stick with kids the most. Sometimes, it's what you teach them just by showing up. Her students agree.
"She's actually my hero," Sariyah Bottoms says.
WTKR Photojournalist Ian Teasley contributed to this report.
