Outstanding Group Chosen as 2008 Wakulla County School-Level Teachers of the Year
Superintendent David Miller and some of his staff had the pleasure of announcing the school-level 2008 Teachers of the Year on December 14. Surprising the teachers with flowers, candy, and balloons, Superintendent Miller received enthusiastic responses from students as he entered each classroom to present the honor to their teacher.
The seven Teachers of the Year for 2008 are: Walter Cooper, Crawfordville Elementary; Charlotte Hoover, Medart Elementary; Tammi Light, Shadeville Elementary; Donna Sullivan, Riversprings Middle; Cindy Burse, Wakulla Middle; Brenda Hatcher, Wakulla High; and Janie Tucker representing Sopchoppy Education Center and Wakulla Education Center.
Nominations from each school’s faculty began the process in November, and then nominees submitted professional and biographical information forms for their faculties to read. Faculties then voted for their school’s Teacher of the Year. Selected teachers’ names were concealed until Superintendent Miller visited each school in December.
The seven are now in the running for Wakulla County’s 2008 Teacher of the Year, which will be announced at the end of January. A qualified panel of judges from outside of Wakulla County will rate an extensive written packet and an interview from each teacher. The 2008 Wakulla County Teacher of the Year will then compete with the other 66 districts’ Teachers of the Year for the Florida Teacher of the Year award in the spring.
Walter Cooper of Crawfordville Elementary School has a Bachelors degree in Music Education and a Masters degree in Educational Leadership. He currently teaches music to grades kindergarten through 5, and has taught almost every grade from kindergarten through high school during his 26 years of teaching.
He believes that accomplished educators are well-schooled in “assessment, communication, critical thinking, diversity, ethics, human development and learning.” Using the Teacher Effectiveness Training (TET) approach, he notes that this “reinforced my desire to be an eagle: Enthusiasm-Attitude-Goal-Love-Effort.”
Cooper is honored in Who’s Who Among Executives and Professionals and in Who’s Who Among American Teachers. He also is a member of the Wakulla Arts Coalition, Florida Elementary Music Educators Association, Florida Music Educators Association, and Gamma Beta Phi Honor Society.
 Charlotte Hoover of Medart Elementary has a degree in Early Childhood and is certified in Elementary Education as well. She has been teaching for 17 years and currently is working with 5th graders.
She believes, “Some children develop from an unfolding of potential. . .others will need directing, coaching or alternatives allowing the child to choose. Detecting the early strengths and weaknesses of students, diagnosing those weaknesses and implementing intervention strategies with parents are the teacher’s responsibility.”
Hoover is a member of the Wakulla County Teachers Association and Delta Kappa Gamma, an international women educators’ honor society. She has served in many leadership positions such as chairperson of the Spelling Bee and member of the School Advisory Council. Also certified to teach in Georgia, she was named Jessup Elementary School Teacher of the Year in 1997.
Shadeville Elementary voted for 4th grade teacher Tammi Light to represent their school. She has Bachelors and Masters degrees in Elementary Education and has been teaching for 18 years. Light believes her role as a teacher “involves leading children to be confident learners. My mission is to help others to help themselves. My role as teacher is ‘guide on the side, not sage on the stage’.”
Leadership positions she has held include Wakulla County Teachers Association representative, School Advisory Council member, and Reading Council member. She has completed certification which qualifies her as a CRISS trainer (CReating Independence through Student owned Strategies) and also is a facilitator for teaching AIMS (Activities Integrating Math and Science) to other educators.
Donna Sullivan is the representative from Riversprings Middle School. With a Ph.D. in Business, a Masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction, a Bachelors degree in Home Economics, and 30 years’ experience teaching, she brings a wealth of experience to her 6th, 7th and 8th graders. Her various courses include such curricula as life skills, entrepreneurship, and career planning.
Sullivan notes, “In my Home Economics classes I make every attempt to build self confidence in students through success, even for those students who may not have experienced success in their academic areas. I think it is critical to understand the student as a person and offer them opportunities to grow and develop through guidance and encouragement.”
She is a member of the RMS Reading Leadership Team, Delta Kappa Gamma, Sigma Beta Delta International Business Honor Society, and co-chair of the School Advisory Council.
At Wakulla Middle School, Cindy Burse represents her faculty. She has a Bachelors degree in Biology and a Masters degree in Reading, plus certification in middle grades language arts, math, science and social studies as well as Media Specialist. Also, she has taken courses in Exceptional Student Education over her 17 years of teaching. Currently she teaches 8th grade Reading and Language Arts.
Burse believes effective teaching is “sharing ideas with and seeking ideas from the other expert teachers around you, loving even the most unlovable children, and being willing to admit that you don’t know everything, but trying your hardest to mold all your students into life-long lovers of learning.”
She is a National Board Certified teacher, a member of Delta Kappa Gamma and the WMS Reading Leadership Team, plus is a trained mentor and assessor for new teachers and Alternative Certification candidates.
Wakulla High School’s Teacher of the Year is Brenda Hatcher. With Bachelors and Masters degrees in Business Education, she teaches computer courses and Accounting I and II, where her students work in the on-campus Envision Credit Union. She has been teaching grades 9 through 12 for over 25 years.
To her, effective teaching “is giving each student equal attention and opportunity. There is no favoritism.” She uses a variety of teaching tools such as “Smartboard, Samsung, computer and television for those students who are visual, auditory and kinesthetic learners.”
Leadership positions include supervising her students who work in the War Eagle Credit Union, past member of the School Advisory Council, and member of the National Education Association. She has also been teacher of the Year at Jefferson County High School in 1993 and at Wakulla High School in 2001.
Janie Tucker represents Wakulla and Sopchoppy Educational Centers. With 9 years experience teaching Exceptional Education Students, she is in her second year teaching in the Wakulla Pre-Kindergarten ESE program. She is certified to teach Elementary Education and Varying Exceptionalities for special needs children.
For her, “teaching isn’t just about learning A-B-C’s or 1-2-3’s. It involves being a nurse to a child with a ‘boo-boo’, acting as a seamstress for a child whose button fell off his pants, and of course, running a one-man band to keep the attention of a small group of very active children.”
Tucker, a National Board Certified teacher, has been co-chair of the School Advisory Council at Crawfordville Elementary School, and is on the School Advisory Council at Wakulla Educational Center. She is a member of Delta Kappa Gamma and a mentor to new teachers. In 2004, she was the Crawfordville Elementary School Teacher of the Year.
These teachers and all of the Wakulla County teachers will be honored at a breakfast on March 21 at Crawfordville Elementary School.
Pictured above in group photo: Back Row, L to R: Superintendent of Schools David Miller, SES Teacher Tammi Light, WMS Teacher Cindy Burse, CES Teacher Walter Cooper, Asst. Superintendent of Instruction Beth O'Donnell. Front Row, L to R: RMS Teacher Donna Sullivan, WHS Teacher Brenda Hatcher, MES Teacher Charlotte Hoover, and WEC Teacher Janie Tucker.
- Submitted by Beth O'Donnell, Assistant Superintendent of Instruction
This article originally published on January
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