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Cameron and five other finalists will arrive in Raleigh Monday, April 30. Candidates will be interviewed on current education issues by a panel of judges, and each candidate will make a speech. The third component of the evaluation will be team problem solving. Judges will announce a problem, and then observe the six regional winners as they work together toward a solution.
Local educators are pleased that Cameron was chosen for the honor.
"I'm very proud of her. I think she'll be a great representative for not only Cullowhee Valley School but for Jackson County and all the teachers in this region," said CVS Principal Ron Yount. "She's an outstanding teacher, and what she's done in the past made her a natural choice for the selection committee. Mrs. Cameron has good rapport with her students and teaches them to be successful."
"She's at the end of her career, and yet is so concerned about the next generation of teachers that she has spearheaded the local effort toward supplements for teachers because of the coming shortage of teachers," said Cullowhee Assistant Principal Ellen Hunter. "She's an unselfish person who cares so much about the children. She'll be a wonderful representative for the region."
"I'm sure Marsha will represent Jackson County very well and would be a strong advocate for teachers across the state," said Peggy Wike, Jackson County's Teacher of the Year coordinator. "Though she could retire, she is still in the classroom because she enjoys teaching and is an excellent example of teachers remaining in their profession."
"She represents the best of us," said Superintendent Mack McCary. "It's affirming when you see people who have been in the profession that long - who could retire - and they're still innovators who look for better ways to help all students."
Cameron learned of her selection last Wednesday during a visit from Central Office administrators and staff from the regional education center.
"When they walked in, it was absolutely amazing. The only thing I could think of was to turn to the children and say, 'We won,'" Cameron said. "They have helped me so much."
Cameron appreciates the support she has received from the students and staff at Cullowhee Valley and from other schools. When she went to the regional center for her interview, there were encouraging signs all the way to Canton, she said. And when she arrived, there was a huge bouquet of flowers for her. She also received flowers from Smoky Mountain High and Fairview schools and from the local NCAE chapter.
When it was time to prepare Cullowhee Valley for the judges' visit, the entire school joined the effort, Cameron said.
"Every single class put up posters, and the other teachers helped me decorate my room, the school building and the room the committee used that day," Cameron said.
"I owe so many people that I truly don't know how in the world I'm going to repay them. This is definitely not a one-man show - it has taken so many people to get to this point," Cameron said.
Now in her 32nd year of teaching, Cameron began her career in Florida in 1968 and moved to Jackson County's Camp Lab School in 1972. Currently a third-grade teacher, Cameron has also taught first, second and fourth grades. She holds a bachelor's degree from the University of South Florida and earned both her master's degree and reading certification from WCU.
Cameron credits her parents with fostering her early interest in a teaching career. She also lists positive school experiences - like being chosen a teacher's helper in sixth grade. As a teacher helper, Cameron was given the opportunity to work with first-grade students for an hour each day.
"I fell in love with the children, the magic of the classroom and the idea of becoming a teacher," Cameron wrote in her portfolio. "From that time on, I never wavered about what I would do with my life. Teaching children would be my career choice."
Accompanying Cameron to Raleigh will be her husband, Richard, and children, Gregg and Allison. Superintendent McCary, Yount and Wike will represent the school system at the event.
Another Cullowhee Valley teacher, Anne Loughlin, was regional runner-up three years ago. Fairview's Renee Coward, now a fellow at the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching, was the regional winner in 1996.
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