Friday, May 3, 2002
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Friday, May 3, 2002 |
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Arnall teacher takes state honors Arnall Middle School's Lorraine Johnson was named the 2003 Georgia Teacher of the Year last week at the Georgia Teacher of the Year banquet in Macon. Johnson, a seventh grade social studies and language arts teacher, was Coweta County's 2001 Teacher of the Year. She is also Coweta County's third Georgia Teacher of the Year in 10 years, making Coweta County Schools the source of the most Georgia Teachers of the Year among Georgia's 180 school systems. Gwinnett County, Carrollton City and Glynn County School Systems all have had two Georgia Teachers of the Year. Nancy Royal was the 1993 Georgia Teacher of the Year, and Jamie Lipscomb was the 1998 Georgia Teacher of the Year. Coweta County has had 12 finalists or semifinalists for TOTY since 1986. Johnson's award was witnessed by family, fellow teachers, one of her students, the Coweta County Board of Education, Coweta County Superintendent Dr. Peggy Connell, and Arnall Principal Charles Smith, among others. The awards banquet was held at 7 p.m., at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Macon. "I am extremely surprised and very honored to represent Arnall Middle School and the Coweta County School System as Georgia Teacher of the Year," said Johnson, upon learning of the award. "It's very exciting." "We're thrilled for Mrs. Johnson," said Connell. "Her students and their parents and her colleagues at Arnall already knew what a distinguished teacher she is. Now the whole state knows." Johnson has taught at Arnall Middle School since 1996. She has been school-level Teacher of the Year at her two previous schools and twice at her current school, Arnall Middle School. Also, she has been twice named as system-level Teacher of the Year for Coweta County. She has been listed four times in Who's Who Among American Teachers and is a member of Kappa Delta Pi, an educational honor society, and Alpha Delta Kappa, an international honor society. "I can think of no greater honor than to be a teacher, entrusted with the lives of young people each day. With that honor comes an enormous responsibility - one that is becoming more and more challenging. Yet with the increasing obstacles teachers face, they continue to work daily to bring each child a quality education filled with positive learning experiences regardless of individual circumstances. School reform will not come overnight. It is important to remember that without quality teachers in the classroom, not even the best school improvement efforts will succeed," Johnson said during the selection process. "As Georgia's Teacher of the Year, I hope to spread the message that teachers must continue to set high standards for students, work to involve parents and make efforts to reach all students, because the true catalyst for bringing about positive change is in the heart of our schools - within each of us who call ourselves teachers." Johnson received her bachelor's, master's and specialist degrees in education from the State University of West Georgia. She is a Coweta County mentor and tutor for middle school students and is actively involved in staff development and the training of future teachers. She has written and evaluated lesson plans that correlate with Georgia's Quality Core Curriculum for the Georgia Learning Connections Web site, http://www.glc.k12.ga.us. "Lorraine Johnson is a teacher because she loves the profession and knows that she can make a difference by helping to shape the minds of our future. Over the next year she will spread her passion to Georgia's public teachers through school visits and presenting at conferences. Although she will be missed in the classroom during the next school year, the teachers of this state will benefit from her guidance and enthusiasm," Superintendent Schrenko said. As Georgia Teacher of the Year, Johnson will be awarded a one-year sabbatical, in order to represent Georgia and tour the state. In addition to speaking engagements, she will conduct numerous staff development programs to train other Georgia teachers, including those in Coweta County. In addition to service on statewide and regional education panels, Johnson will also receive honors ranging from a chance to meet President George W. Bush in the fall to throwing out the first pitch at the May 9 Braves game. Dr. Margaret Sims was named runner-up to the 2003 Georgia Teacher of the Year. She is an English teacher at Marietta High School, part of the Marietta City School System in Cobb County. She currently is a reviewer for the English Journal. Dr. Sims also is an International Baccalaureate assistant examiner. She also achieved a 100 percent passing rate on International Baccalaureate examinations for English students both in 1999 and 2000.
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