Mr. William Young’s career has always been about caring for children and helping them grow. Now in his 9th year at Midlands STEM Charter School, he has spent his entire professional journey at the same school, primarily teaching 4th and 5th grade English Language Arts (ELA) and Social Studies. Over the years, he has taught classes spanning 1st through 6th grade, with ELA remaining his central focus.
Education is a family legacy. Both of his parents were teachers at Ben Lippen School; his mother taught elementary students, and his father taught Bible to high school juniors. The summer before his junior year of high school, Mr. Young assisted his mother in her classroom. That experience confirmed for him that he wanted to teach, leading him to earn a Master’s degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from Columbia International University.
Mr. Young began teaching ELA to 5th through 8th graders in his first year at Midlands STEM. After this, he transitioned to elementary and continued to teach ELA and Social Studies for the last eight years. Throughout that time, the school stopped feeling just like a workplace and turned into something more – a second home.
Then in 2019, Mr. Young faced a life-altering medical crisis. His heart stopped while at home with his wife, leading to multiple resuscitations and a medically induced coma. After a week, he began the grueling process of relearning how to walk and talk. When he returned to school a month later, he was met with an outpouring of support from students, colleagues, and families.
Despite his absence, his 3rd-grade homeroom finished that year with the highest academic performance in the school, and Mr. Young was named Elementary Teacher of the Year. The heartfelt experience showed that the Midlands STEM community truly is a family, standing together through hardship.
Mr. Young’s teaching philosophy is grounded in his faith. He wants students to feel seen and heard in every lesson. In his classroom, you’ll find children reading books like The Chronicles of Narnia, The Giver, Holes, and Number the Stars – stories meant to challenge their thinking and cultivate a genuine love of reading.
What he treasures most about Midlands STEM is the longevity of the relationships built through his time at the school. He enjoys watching former students compete in athletics, present science fair projects, and receive college acceptance letters. For Mr. Young, each day is an opportunity to invest in lives and fulfill his calling.
Thank you, Mr. Young, for your continued commitment to serving the children of South Carolina!
