CLARENDON AND HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) – Dozens of teachers across the Pee Dee were honored this school year for their achievement in and outside the classroom. Someone in their school nominates them and then an outside committee picks from the 2014-2015 Teacher of the year from a district list.
June’s teachers selected as the Pee Dee Education Center Teachers of the Year come from the Clarendon School District 1 and 2 as well as the Horry County School District.
Ms. Tiffani Burgess is the ELA Department Chair at Manning Junior High School and the Clarendon School District 2 Teacher of the Year.
Ms. Burgess has been teaching for ten years and and says she was inspired by several different educators. She comes from a family of educators which include several of her siblings and mom, who is a retired teacher and coach.
“One principal I try to instill in my students is that education should never stop. It is the key to changing one’s path. Constant learning changes the way we think, drives our goals, expands our horizons, and enables us to change our circumstances,” Burgess said.
Of the Teacher of the Year nomination, Burgess said, “It is truly an honor to receive such recognition. It is not just for me; I represent all of my students who work hard, make gains, and overcome various obstacles,”
Ms. Wanda House teaches Summerton Early Childhood Center and is the Clarendon School District 2 Teacher of the year.
Ms. House has been teaching for 8 years and says she works to instill in her students the drive to always do his or her best and to never give up because the best is yet to come.
When asked about the Teacher of the Year honor, she says, “being nominated and receiving Teacher of the Year was a honor. I felt that the job that I did and continues to do is important, and that it matters, not only for my students but my colleagues as well. I truly believe that I am making a difference one child at a time.”
Kayla Maxwell is a 6th grade Math teacher at Forestbrook Middle school and the Horry County School District Teacher of the Year.
Maxwell said her third grade teacher inspired her to pursue the profession. She stayed in the area an attended Coastal Carolina University because she wanted to teach in Horry County. What makes the award so special for Maxwell is that she was named the Teacher of the Year at the school she attended as a child.
“When I got voted Teacher of the Year by my colleagues at school level for Forestbrook Middle that was the biggest accomplishment for me and such a tremendous honor because my former teachers voted to be in this position,” Maxwell said.
She is currently working on her Masters at CCU.