Speaking Out For Kids

Amanda Carden helps children find their voice

When you see the worst of the worst every day, it’s easy to become jaded. But

Amanda Carden, executive director of the Carroll County Child Advocacy Center, uses what she sees at work to fuel her passion to help even more children who could be victims of abuse.

Born in North Carolina to parents from Alabama, Amanda has lived in West Georgia for more than 35 years. She lives in Carrollton, Ga., with her husband, Brian, and their 11-year-old daughter, Abigail, who they lovingly call Abs.

Amanda knew early on she wanted to work with children, and she decided to become a teacher. With a heart for children with disabilities, she earned her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in special education, later earning her specialist degree in educational leadership – all three degrees are from the University of West Georgia.

She spent 15 years working in the Carrollton City School District, learning about every level as she moved up. “I had a long career in public education with Carrollton City Schools as a classroom teacher, school-level administrator as an assistant principal and then principal, and finally as a district-level administrator,” Amanda says. “I’ll always be an educator at heart, but I once heard someone say the best educators are advocates for children.”

She explains that as an educator, your actions become very intentional, including how you see and interact with the students. “Kids come to school with so much more than bookbags on their backs,”

Amanda shares. “They experience so much more than you know. They have experienced things that would buckle adults.”

When Amanda started her teaching career, she worked with special education students who were classified as having low-incidence disabilities. These students had severe intellectual disabilities, autism or severe behavioral disorders. Less than 20% of students with disabilities are considered low-incidence. Because of their unique needs, teachers need highly specialized skills and knowledge to teach these students.

As a young teacher, Amanda discovered one of her students was experiencing sexual abuse. Because of his disabilities, he was unable to clearly express what he was going through.