GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) – To be a teacher amid a pandemic is no easy task but our Hometown Hero is up for the challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meet Dr. Amarene Chandler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m here at PACE so that I can make a difference,\u201d said Chandler. \u201cI could have been a PACE girl.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pace Center for Girls in Alachua is more than just a school to students and staff. It\u2019s a place of opportunity and second chances, and for Chandler, it\u2019s a place to give back to the girls who need it the most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019d rather be at PACE than any other school, PACE more better,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAfter retiring I determined that I needed to give back. I\u2019ve had a good life. I\u2019ve enjoyed working in the school system, I\u2019ve enjoyed working in the community. So at some point in your life, it gets real and you\u2019re going to realize you have to give back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For five years Chandler has served as the American government, American history, economics and world history instructor, but that\u2019s not the only role she plays at the center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBlack teachers bring into the classroom cultural differences for their white counterparts,\u201d Chandler explained. \u201cAccording to research, if a child has one black teacher they fare much better in school.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chandler\u2019s history and life lessons hit home too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou get to learn about yourself, you get to know yourself better than anybody else.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her granddaughter, Kylah, is now a tenth grader. The 16-year-old is at the center and has big dream post graduation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI love the Seminoles like I want to like, I want to go there because I want to be a veterinarian when I grow up,\u201d said Kylah Chandler. \u201cSo like I really want to go there and be a veterinarian when I grow up and like I want to go there to play basketball too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What makes it all worth it for Chandler? Knowing she\u2019s not alone in her passion to make a difference at pace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat makes me feel good is the staff that\u2019s here,\u201d she said. \u201cI know that if I\u2019m not here, the staff is here. The girls are getting the care they need. And that\u2019s from the director all the way down to the volunteers. So I feel real good about it, it\u2019s an awesome staff here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n