Dalton Public Schools has announced that Kay Moss, a first grade teacher at Roan School, has been named the 2012-13 Teacher of the Year. She was honored at the recent Dalton Board of Education meeting where all the school winners for Teacher of the Year were recognized. Ms. Moss will now compete with other system-level Teachers of the Year across Georgia for state honors.
Ms. Moss has 14 years of service with Dalton Public Schools, having served the last five years at Roan School. She has a total of 26 years in education. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from West Georgia College, a master’s degree from Interrelated Special Education from Kennesaw State University and an educational specialist’s degree in administration and supervision from Lincoln Memorial University.
Ms. Moss taught special education for 16 years and says that her heart will always be with the exceptional students that she taught because they provided the biggest challenges and the most joy through the years.
“I believed they could learn,” Ms. Moss said in her application. “I expected them to learn, and I never allowed them to believe their disability was who they were.”
She says is also drawn to working in schools with high poverty rates and wants her classroom to always be a good place to be for students.
She said, “When I remember the good things from childhood, the memories are about school, and about my teachers. Somehow, my teachers instilled a desire to keep learning, and it stayed with me forever.” She says she believes that she is always in the process of becoming a better teacher and she is committed to keep learning and implementing best practices until the day she retires.” Moss says she is thankful for a job that allows her to do something she loves to do every day.
Cindy Parrott, principal of Roan School, said Ms. Moss loves kids and makes a difference each and every day. “She repeatedly demonstrates that she possesses the ability to engage students in active learning,” Ms. Parrott said. “Ms. Moss is a dedicated worker who has impressive knowledge of the curriculum, the awareness to know when differentiation is called for, and the innovation to discover what works best with her children by getting to ‘know her who.’ She is an excellent leader of leaders, and a designer who has a heart for children and works extremely hard. I am honored to have her as part of the Roan family. “
Danny Crutchfield, chairman of the Dalton Board of Education, commended all the school winners and the district winner for exemplifying great teachers. “A great teacher has a real interest in each of his/her students and finds ways to engage them in learning,” Mr. Crutchfield said. “A great teacher encourages and supports students to achieve at their highest level and to dream big dreams.”
Other school level Teacher of the Year winners included Pam Smith, a third grade teacher at Blue Ridge School; Jessica Clark, a former first grade teacher and current assistant principal at Brookwood School; Gwynn Brookshire, first grade teacher at City Park School; Jacqueline Hudson, a third grade teacher at Park Creek School; Susan Jaconetti, a kindergarten teacher at Westwood School; Sarah Ott, a seventh grade science teacher at Dalton Middle School; J P. Westfield, a former math teacher at Dalton High School; and Cathy Jo Troutman Little, a social studies teacher at Morris Innovative High School.