The Georgia Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) has named one of Fayette’s Georgia history teachers as the 2009 Georgia Citizenship Education Teacher of the Year for middle schools.

Sue Mullin, an 8th grade teacher at J.C. Booth Middle, received the award for her outstanding commitment to teach Americanism and patriotism to her students. She also received the same award from VFW Post 9949 in Peachtree City in December.

“I’m so excited and humbled at the same time. Imagine our veterans honoring me; it is so ironic, I should be honoring them,” says Mullin on her recent awards.

Mullin uses a number of different techniques to teach American history including having students role play the Declaration of Independence to understand the content of the document and having them sign a copy of the United States Constitution so as to simulate what it was like for the country’s founding fathers.

“I use a lot of video streaming to allow students to see actual photos and footage of historical events and I always teach two side of the story. I feel that students need to understand tolerance and how our founding fathers wanted us all to promote the general welfare. I take every teachable moment that comes up to emphasize this and civic duty,” says Mullin.

Each year the Georgia VFW recognizes the state’s top elementary, middle and high school teachers who teach citizenship education topics, at least half of the school day in a classroom environment, and promote America’s history, traditions and institutions effectively.

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