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By Mike Barnhardt
Enterprise Record

Like mother, like daughters.
Jennifer Custer was a teacher of exceptional children.
Both of her daughters – Abbey and Lindsey – are exceptional children teachers.
And mom couldn’t be prouder.
Abbey teaches in Onslow County, Lindsey at Davie High.
It all started when Jennifer, a teen-age farm girl, got a job babysitting for Seth Grooms.
“I knew after that, I wanted to be in special education,” she said.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in special education from Western Carolina University, she came back to Davie County to teach exceptional children. She was doing just that when administrators encouraged her to get her master’s degree. She did just that, earning a master’s in education administration from Appalachian State University.
She went on to become a principal, and is now the exceptional children’s director for the school system.
“I loved teaching, but I also loved being a principal,” she said. “We’re all in this together.”
Jennifer is proud of the Davie Schools’ positive reputation for exceptional children learning.
“I go to a lot of job fairs, and I tell them our location is ideal. Anything you want to do is close by.”
Lindsey remembers going to Western Carolina, and being with other students who had special needs. “Just hanging out with them helps,” she said. “I want to help these kids see the opportunities available to them.”
“Teaching is the only thing I could ever consider doing. My sister and I would play school. I thought it would be cool to help people with reading.”
She hadn’t considered special education until those encounters with students at Western. She transferred to App State and earned a bachelor’s degree in special education.
At Davie High, part of her job is to convince students they have to pass a class to get a diploma. She likes the collaborative class approach used at Davie High, which she says helps all students gain a better understanding of each other.
“We work on goals for every student, which forces us to communicate with the parents, which is good,” Lindsey said. “I do try to take care of my kiddos, not just in the classroom, but as people, too. I’m focused on each kid.”
That was evident as several students stayed a bit late after class, just for a chance to meet her mother.
“Watching her make that connection to the kids is so rewarding,” Jennifer said.
Lindsey started her career in a neighboring county, but had no problem transferring to Davie where her mother was director. After all, she had been a student at North Davie while her mother was principal with no issues.
“Mom is very involved,” Lindsey said. “People are constantly reaching out to her. She’s very approachable. But I’m glad I had the experience of starting somewhere else.
“I feel like I have a purpose here. Students will say I hate math, and I have to convince them they need it to graduate. I have real conversations with them. Then they realize they need this to graduate, to get a job.”
Jennifer grew up on Eaton Farm, and she and husband Brian have bought into the venture. She looks forward to retiring to the farm.
Lindsey likes it, too. She’s renovating a house on the farm.
“I love being on the farm, but education is important,” Lindsey said.