Teacher of the year!
Johnson Elementary School teacher Sharon Hargrave was surprised Monday at her school when the Franklin Special School District Director of Schools presented her with a balloon bouquet and announced that she was the 2007-2008 FSSD Teacher of the Year. FSSD Director, Dr. David Snowden, announced Hargrave as the district representative in the state-wide competition on Monday, February 12, in Hargrave’s classroom, as her students and principal cheered her on.
Mrs. Hargrave teaches a multi-age class comprised of second- and third-graders at the pre-kindergarten through fourth-grade school. A 30-year teaching veteran, she has been teaching in the FSSD for 13 years, making a difference in the lives of her students as well as her colleagues.
FSSD Director of Schools Dr. David Snowden surprised Johnson Elementary School teacher Sharon Hargrave (second from right) in her classroom on Monday to announce her selection as FSSD Teacher of the Year. Also in on the surprise were (left to right) Johnson Elementary Principal Jan Cochran and FSSD Associate Director for Teaching and Learning Dr. Sharon Ladner.
In addition to teaching in the classroom, Mrs. Hargrave is instrumental to the FSSD as a Mentor Coordinator for the FSSD’s Beginning and New Teacher Induction Program (BANTIP). She is also the Lead Mentor for Tennessee, and is responsible for training mentors across the state. For the past 12 years, Mrs. Hargrave has supervised many teachers, both already employed by the FSSD as well as student-teachers from area colleges and universities.
Her work is held in high esteem by the FSSD as well as surrounding counties, who have benefited from her guidance as a member of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) accreditation Peer Review Team for five years.
For the past year, she has also worked for the state Department of Education as a member of the Test Item Review Team. She is active in maintaining her high level of teaching excellence by participating in ongoing professional development. She was a member of the FSSD Design Team for three years, which is charged with designing the district’s professional development program, and she has experience leading programs on Multiple Intelligences and Brain-Based Teaching.
She is not new to accolades, however, as she was named Teacher of the Year for her school in 1999 and 1993 (Montgomery, AL) as well. She is a member of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, and a member of Delta Kappa Gamma Society for Key Women Educators since 1992.
Prior to her 13 years at Johnson, Mrs. Hargrave has taught kindergarten through second grade in Alabama, Missouri, and Illinois. She earned both her master’s degree and her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Southern Illinois University and has continued graduate courses through Tennessee State University.
Her nomination will go on to the state-wide competition by the Tennessee Department of Education and the FSSD Board of Education will recognize all of the Teachers of the Year at the March 12 School Board meeting.
The other FSSD Building Level Teachers of the Year are:
Freedom Middle School – Sandy Jones, 7th and 8th grade Reading and Focused Directed Studies Teacher
Freedom Intermediate School – Lisa Pinson, 5th Grade Intervention Teacher
Poplar Grove School (K-4) – Tammy Fusco, 2nd Grade Teacher
Poplar Grove School (5-8) – Valerie Meggs, Computer Teacher
Franklin Elementary School – Jeanne Womble, Pre-First Grade Teacher
Liberty Elementary School – Ann Pinder, 4th Grade Teacher
Moore Elementary School – Nedra Finney, Multi-Handicap Class
