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Stephen Harrison
Cullowhee Valley
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Gerald Parker
SMHS
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Linda Potter
Scotts Creek
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Carolyn Pannell
Fairview
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Kathy Ammons
SMES
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Beth Bolognia
Blue Ridge
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By Lynn Hotaling
Jackson County's Teacher of the Year will be named next week during
a Tuesday, Aug. 19, banquet at Western Carolina University's Ramsey
Center.
Six educators, one from each county school, were nominated last
spring by their peers for the honor. Judges will bestow the countywide
title based on candidate-compiled portfolios and judges' interviews
held Aug. 4.
This year's individual school Teachers of the Year are Stephen
Harrison, Cullowhee Valley; Gerald Parker, Smoky Mountain High;
Linda Potter, Scotts Creek; Carolyn Pannell, Fairview; Kathy Ammons,
Smokey Mountain Elementary; and Beth Bolognia, Blue Ridge.
A committee consisting of last year's school winners and several
area education and business professionals select Jackson County's
winner, who will then move on to state competition. Central Carolina
Bank sponsors the annual award, and Peggy Wike, community schools
and media director for Jackson County Schools, coordinates the
competition.
During the Aug. 4 interviews, teachers made a prepared speech
based on an issue they would address if chosen Teacher of the
Year and answered questions put to them by the judges' panel.
Each teacher's portfolio included a biography of the candidate's
educational career and information about teaching philosophies.
Information about school winners, which was taken both from their
portfolios and interviews with judges, follows.
Stephen Harrison
Cullowhee Valley
An art teacher, Harrison earned his bachelor's degree at Western
Carolina University and has taught at Cullowhee Valley for the
past three years.
Harrison said he knew from the time he was in high school that
he wanted to be a teacher and credited several of his elementary
and high school instructors with influencing his career choice.
The harder decision for him, he said, was to determine what subject
area to teach. He began his education studies as an English major
but switched to art after one semester.
"The field of English did not fulfill my desire to encourage
students to express themselves visually," he said.
In summing up his educational philosophy, Harrison said the role
of teachers is to encourage students to become lifelong learners.
Since every child learns in different ways, education has to be
based on the individual needs of each student, he said.
"Teachers should provide their students with opportunities
to build knowledge on their individual experiences, as well as
to prepare them with the skills to continue their education,"
Harrison said.
Harrison said the best way (apart from higher salaries) to encourage
teachers to remain in the classroom at a time when educators are
leaving the profession is to improve benefits like insurance and
personal leave.
The greatest challenge facing students today is the emphasis on
succeeding in school, which "really comes out in testing,"
Harrison said.
"(Students) really feel the effects of testing," he
said. "As teachers, it's important to convince them that's
not what school's about."
Gerald Parker
Smoky Mountain High
Parker, named Smoky Mountain High School's Teacher of the Year,
has been a teacher for seven years and has taught calculus and
applied statistics at SMHS for the past six. He earned both his
bachelor's and master's degrees at WCU.
Parker made the decision to shift his major from pre-engineering
to education while working as a math tutor at Western.
"I absolutely loved helping others learn how to do math,"
Parker said.
Parker's teaching philosophy revolves around his belief that you
have to "love what you're doing if you want to be really
good at it," he said.
"Teachers have to put a lot into their work," he said.
"What you put in is what you get out."
In order to keep teachers in their profession, Parker said they
need to enjoy teaching.
"You've got to be happy with what you do," he said.
The portfolios now required of new teachers are a disadvantage,
in his opinion, Parker said.
The greatest challenges facing students today, according to Parker,
are choosing what to do after high school and peer pressure.
Linda Potter
Scotts Creek
Scotts Creek's Teacher of the Year earned her bachelor's degree
in elementary education from Purdue University and received her
master's in library science from the University of Southern Mississippi
in Hattiesburg. She is beginning her fourth year as media specialist
at Scotts Creek and has 21 years total teaching experience. She
was media specialist at Blue Ridge before transferring to Scotts
Creek.
Potter attributes her decision to make education her career to
the example set by her mother.
"My mother was an educator I looked up to and admired,"
Potter said. "She was an excellent teacher, and I followed
in her footsteps. I love children and enjoy working with them,
so it seemed a natural choice."
Potter's philosophy of teaching revolves around her belief that
education should be a journey, not a struggle.
"I've always thought I tried to make education fun, like
my mother did," Potter said. "Education should lead
to lifelong learning - it shouldn't be something kids dread."
The best way to keep young teachers from leaving the classroom,
Potter said, is to offer them support from both administrators
and fellow teachers.
"Teachers need support from other teachers who teach the
same grade level or subject area," she said. "It's real
important for beginning teachers to have a peer to talk things
over with."
Changes to society in general are probably the biggest challenges
facing students today, Potter said.
"Things have changed so quickly that sometimes I don't think
students know what's expected. Students face different expectations
at home and at school," she said. "It's a real difficult
thing for them to be able to put it all together as they grow."
Potter did not prepare a portfolio or meet with local judges Aug.
4. As a school media specialist, she is ineligible to compete
for state Teacher of the Year honors and was interviewed separately
for this report.
Carolyn Pannell
Fairview
Pannell, Fairview's Teacher of the Year, is beginning her fourth
year as a fourth-grade teacher at the K-8 school. In her 19th
year with Jackson County schools, Pannell was assistant principal
at Scotts Creek for three years from 1996-1999 and taught middle
grades at Fairview for 12 years before trying her hand at administration.
She received her undergraduate degree from Western and also earned
master's degrees in middle grade education and administration
at WCU.
Her parents, former teachers and a "heartfelt desire to share
her love of learning with others" are the reasons she chose
a teaching career, Pannell said.
Pannell's philosophy of teaching includes believing that teachers
are vital members of society because they influence the future
of so many people, she said.
"The skills, content and lessons that are taught by teachers
help students become the citizens they need to be," Pannell
said. "Being a teacher is a tremendous responsibility when
you realize the tremendous impact you have on the lives of students,
parents and community members - it is a job that has far-reaching
effects every day."
Ways teachers can encourage other teachers to remain in the education
profession include teaching them how to use the state's standard
course of study and making them feel like they're part of a team,
Pannell said.
"We need to initiate and orient them to our schools,"
she said. "We need to plan what to tell new teachers and
prepare materials for them."
The veteran educator described social issues, including the rising
number of single-parent homes, as the greatest challenge to today's
students.
"The structure of the family has such an effect on kids,"
Pannell said. "We're always looking for ways to make real-world
connections and teach kids to be lifelong learners."
Kathy Ammons
Smokey Mountain Elem.
A kindergarten teacher at Smokey Mountain for the past 23 years,
Ammons began her career with Jackson County Schools 29 years ago
at Log Cabin School, which was consolidated with Qualla to form
SMES. Ammons received both her bachelor's and master's degrees
from WCU.
Ammons attributes her choice of a career to her parents and Sunday
school teachers.
"My father has been the most influential because he wanted
me to go to college," Ammons said. "He always believed
that I could become a good teacher and work well with children.
He worked hard and saved so I could attend college."
With regard to her philosophy of teaching, Ammons said she believes
each child is an individual with his or her own unique style.
"I want the children to treat each other with respect, as
well as adults," Ammons said. "This is the way I was
taught, and I try to instill this is my students."
In order to encourage teachers to remain in the education profession,
they need support, Ammons said.
"Without support, young teachers feel they're all alone,"
Ammons said.
The rapid pace of change in today's world is the biggest challenge
facing students, Ammons said, and educators can help kids by making
sure students achieve educational benchmarks and perform at grade
level.
Beth Bolognia
Blue Ridge
A Blue Ridge fourth-grade teacher since 1995, Bolognia is beginning
her ninth year of teaching at the K-12 school. She earned her
bachelor's degree at WCU.
Bolognia said she became a teacher because of a special teacher
who believed in her.
"When I got to eighth grade, I finally had a teacher who
knew I could read and do a good job at it," Bolognia said.
"She had confidence in me, and she gave me the confidence
I needed to feel important at last... that's when I decided I
wanted to help children feel good about themselves when I grew
up."
Bolognia's philosophy of teaching is centered around her belief
that teaching is a work of the heart.
"It takes love and a lot of it to be a truly effective teacher
who touches hearts and is touched by them also," Bolognia
said. "Teaching requires patience, it requires accepting
change and it requires all the standards the N.C. Professional
Teaching Standards Commission has set."
Children are "irreplaceable," Bolognia said, and deserve
the best education available to them.
"Sometimes teachers have to work extra hard to deliver what
is best for the child," she said. "Teachers must continually
search for new techniques... all children do not acquire knowledge
the same way."
Keeping young teachers committed to careers in education can best
be accomplished by moral and administrative support, Bolognia
said, with teachers encouraging other teachers.
The biggest challenge students face is peer pressure, Bolognia
said.
"Kids feel they have to fit in," she said. "We
have to talk to them about it and help them understand that everyone
has experienced it. We have to help kids see what they can do
well on their own."
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