On Agendas and “Winning”…
This year, it was my pleasure and honor to be named a finalist for the 2024 Georgia Teacher of the Year. It has truly been an incredible process, one that has forced me to think deeply about what I do as a teacher and why I do it. Even writing the (4000 word) application was an exercise in reflection and diligence. It’s so difficult to sum up the work I do as a teacher in any one piece of communication. So much of my teaching life is best seen in the moment as I interact with students, families, and colleagues. It’s hard to accurately describe the energy and community in my classroom. I also had to have headshots and letters of reference. Yikes! It was so much work, and to know that I was chosen as a finalist on the basis of that work was really humbling!
On the day that Georgia Superintendent of Schools Richard Woods landed a helicopter on the front lawn of my school to tell me I was a finalist, I had several reactions. First, my inner Sally Fields wanted to scream “They like me! They really like me!”, and then I remembered the pile of essays I had yet to grade, and the dinner I had to prep for my family, and thought, “Oh man… something ELSE to do!” I think I finally settled on the understanding that I was ok with this whole process feeling a bit surreal.
Teaching, you see, is not about “winning” for individual teachers. It’s about teachers helping students win. I’m not used to notoriety or accolades, but I want them for my students, and I’d like to help celebrate the hard work of teachers all over our state.
As a part of the interview process, we wrote and gave a speech for a luncheon in Atlanta. We were asked to speak for three minutes about why we believe in public education. Below, you can see what I had to say.
“Good afternoon. It is my pleasure to speak to you today about why I believe in public education. In their “Top 10 Issues to Watch” publication, the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education recognizes “increased social and political polarization aimed at public school systems”. They are not wrong. It seems that every day we see media coverage about the “agenda of public schools”, and I think we have all felt the frustration in those moments. This negative press has made me take a long, hard look at what I believe about public education, and about my role as an educator. The truth I have arrived at is this. It’s true. We do have an agenda. That agenda is not what our harshest critics want to believe it is, but the agenda of public education is clear.
Our goal is to meet each and every student who enters our school exactly where they are, and to take them as far as we can possibly take them. It’s no easy task, but it can be accomplished through powerful relationships with students and families that help us put our expertise to its best use- teaching. When my high school geometry teacher took time to build a relationship with me… when she saw beyond my disorganization and dismal history as a math student… that is when I began to really learn from her. That’s when I found success. That’s the kind of teacher I have tried to be for my own students.
Another part of our agenda is this. We understand that the work we do each day in our classrooms is for the well-being of society as a whole. Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” With this in mind, when I step in my classroom, like so many other teachers, I work hard at the arduous task of teaching students not what to think, but how to think. We teach them to problem solve, collaborate, find their voice, and leave no stone unturned in their quest for understanding.
I am the daughter of a public school teacher, the proud graduate of a public school system, and a doctoral student at Kennesaw State University, right here in Georgia. As such, I understand that every student’s voice matters, and that when public education is strong, we are all better for it.
So yes, I believe in public education.
I believe in public education because it is education of the people, by the people, and for the people. That is our agenda.
Only time (and a semi-formal gala) will tell if I “win” and am THE 2024 Georgia Teacher of the Year. If that honor is bestowed upon me, I will do my best to spend significant time listening to the experiences and concerns of Georgia educators and to represent their interests the state board of education. I’d love nothing more than to share the good news- that Georgia schools are incredible places for students to learn, grow, and thrive- to show that our agenda is clear and important for the future of Georgia and the world.
