We’d like to thank everyone who participated last month in our Teacher of the Month Award program. As always, we received many heartfelt nominations! Our panel has selected this month’s award recipients, and attorney Shane Smith says, “The teachers awarded this month clearly put their heart and souls into helping their students grow. Not only do they care about their students’ minds, they care about their happiness as well, and it’s clear that they would do anything they can to help their students.”
Peachtree City attorney Shane Smith is recognizing outstanding local educators with his Shane Smith Law Teacher of the Month Award program for the 2013-2014 school year. Each month, the law firm recognizes and rewards two outstanding local educators – one from Coweta and one from Fayette - for their dedication to their students. These teachers can be nominated by anyone who wishes to participate, and the award recipients will be selected by a special panel of local citizens.
The Fayette County Teacher of the Month for December is Ms. Sue Keirn, a 2nd Grade teacher at Kedron Elementary School. Ms. Keirn has a background in special education and enriches her classroom by differentiating and enhancing all content areas. She uses positive reinforcement and her kids genuinely love to be in her classroom. Above all, Ms. Keirn nutures the talent and individualism of her students. Her goal is to create “thoughtful, knowledgeable, and compassionate learners, thus bettering all of our children’s futures.”
The Coweta County Teacher of the Month is Ms. Dara Williams, the lead teacher for the middle school program at Odyssey Charter School. She is a caring teacher who truly wants to see each child succeed, even if it requires her to go in early or stay after school to mentor a child. She keeps learning fun with her impromptu 3 minute dance party after tests to allow the children to clear their heads and release stress before moving on to the next lesson plan. Ms. Williams encourages good grades and behavior by having weekly drawings for rewards such as a free homework pass, her personal library pass, and small candy rewards.
The glowing nominations we received demonstrate the loving, positive impact these teachers have on their students. We want to thank Ms. Keirn and Ms. Williams for everything they do for their students and our children, and for being among a select few who go above and beyond their peers and their pay grades. As a token of our gratitude for these outstanding local educators, each of these ladies has received a $200 check for school supplies and a $25 gift card to Partner’s Pizza.