Work ethic benefits pupil
At the age of 9, one Bel Air Elementary School fourth-grader has already learned two valuable qualities: self-discipline and hard work.
"If I get a C on my report card, my parents will make me cut back on some of the things I do," said Britton Carter, the daughter of James and Barbara Carter, of Martinez. "I study a lot and keep up with my grades."
Britton has learned that earning good grades doesn't necessarily mean she has to give up some of the fun activities she enjoys. It simply means putting a little more effort into what's really important.
"Making good grades is important to me because I want to get into a good college," she said.
"I want to be a teacher or a lawyer. I want to get in the best college I can, and if I don't learn now, there won't be any time for me to learn later."
That work ethic instilled in Britton and her siblings is what makes her such a well-liked youngster, those who know her say.
"She is an excellent student in every way," said Bonnie Pierce, Britton's teacher at Bel Air Elementary. "She always does her work and then she asks permission to help other students who may be having a problem with whatever they are doing. She has so much initiative. She scans the room and looks for situations where she can help other students."
"I like helping them because it helps them achieve and we can go on and the whole class can achieve more," said Britton, an all-A honor pupil who also is a member of the school's student council.
Britton Carter, a fourth-grader at Bel Air Elementary, was nominated by her teacher, Bonnie Pierce, for "being an excellent student in every way." She enjoys math and playing basketball.
Photo by Jim Blaylock
Britton, whose favorite subject is math, enjoys playing basketball with her siblings and teammates at First Baptist Church of Augusta, in addition to taking tap, ballet and jazz lessons with the Augusta Youth School of Dance.
Britton reads at least 20 minutes a day and enjoys all types of arts and crafts.
She also is a member of Horizons, the Columbia County gifted program in which invited pupils take specific classes each semester.
Some of the classes that Britton, who has been in the Horizons program since kindergarten, has taken include Asian studies, problem solving, rocks and minerals and community service.
Britton also helps with classroom chores, such as copying accelerated math handouts and doing other minor tasks that her teacher needs assistance with.
"She is helpful to me," Pierce said. "She stays after school one to two days a week and helps with classroom chores. I usually stay until about 5:30. That is fine with Britton. She stays until the work is completed."