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Posted on: 6/26/24
Teacher Elizabeth Canute has been a constant at Tuckaseegee Elementary School for the last 28 years. Her professional longevity, at the same school no less, never ceases to amaze those she has worked with along the way.
“They’ll say, ‘Tuckaseegee – you’re still there?’” Canute said. “And I’ll say, ‘Yep, I’m still there.’ It's the most rewarding place I've ever worked. And invariably, wherever they are in life, their next words are, ‘That was such a special place to work. I never felt more like a family as a staff than I did at Tuckaseegee, but those were some of the hardest years I ever worked.’”
Canute, the 2023-24 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Teacher of the Year, acknowledges the hard work but values the relationships and rewards so much more. She is passionate about the students and families she serves and the school that’s been her second home.
“If you want to work with kids and you want to feel like you’re part of a family, this is the place to come,” Canute said. “However, you will work hard. It will not be easy, but things that are worth it never are.”
A native of Davenport, Iowa, Canute is a National Board Certified Teacher who followed her parents’ example. Both high school teachers, her mother later found success as a writer/editor, while her father, who played for the New York Yankees, was an award-winning baseball coach, including National Coach of the Year.
“I’ve just always wanted to be a teacher,” Canute said. “My dad could have gone other places, but he always chose to stay at the high school level where he felt he made an impact. Here, I can make an impact.”
Canute taught for 10 years in Jacksonville, Fla., and Atlanta before joining Tuckaseegee in 1995, an “itty-bitty little country school” on the west side of a much smaller Charlotte. Back then, all students attended the neighborhood schools, advancing from Tuckaseegee to the former Wilson Middle School – literally out their back door – and West Mecklenburg High School, a little farther down the road.
LaTresha Wilson grew up in that neighborhood and has just completed her first year as Tuckaseegee’s principal. She also taught at the school as a Multiage teacher alongside Canute and calls her “a rare gem.”
“Her dedication, energy and commitment to student achievement has been unwavering,” Wilson said. “She is a beacon of light for the staff, students and families, is always positive and works hard every day. Her passion and love for the students and her colleagues is genuine and unmatched. She is all in for Tuckaseegee and truly sees this school as her family and a place to call home.”
Tuckaseegee is now a partial magnet for Learning Immersion/Talent Development, but the program has been embraced by the whole school. Canute said everyone there teaches like every student is gifted, or has the ability to be, and that many of their students move on to rigorous magnet programs, such as Piedmont Middle School and Phillip O. Berry Academy of Technology.
Does Canute think her school is competitive? Absolutely, but she stresses that they need more parents sharing that good news. She said the pandemic took away relationships that were formed in schools and that bringing families back into the buildings – not calling in on Zoom – must be a priority.
“School is a family, and if your school building isn’t a family, we need to fix that first,” she said. “It's always been about those relationships – that is what we’ve got to go back to.”
Canute knows personally how her relationships have paid off. She has former students who now approach her at school and say, “Remember me?” They’re settling back in the neighborhood and bringing their children to her at Tuckaseegee. Others have become educators and cite Canute as their inspiration to teach.
“I just finished my third year of teaching and can honestly say that my experiences in her classroom, even at such a young age, are some of the main reasons I chose to go into education,” said Kyra Johnson, who was in Canute’s Multi-age program, kindergarten through second grade. “I admire so much about Mrs. Canute and her passion for teaching, love for her students and dedication to Tuckaseegee. She has been a blessing to so many students, families and colleagues throughout her career, and I am so thankful that I was lucky enough to be one of those fortunate students.”
