Three Hamilton County Department of Education teachers were recently named as the 2017 Hamilton County Teachers of the Year.
Kindergarten teacher, Shellie Gibson from Wallace A. Smith Elementary won for grades K-4, 7th grade science teacher, Kristin Burrus from Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences won for grades 5-8, and 10-12th grade Chemistry and World Concepts teacher, Jessica Hubbuch from The Howard School won for the high school level.
The teachers and their principals will be recognized at a special luncheon at the Chattanoogan Hotel on Friday, March 3.
Ms. Gibson strives to prove everyday her belief that all students can learn, regardless of status or situation. She constantly finds ways to improve as a teacher and life-long learner. She helped her current school develop a curriculum map to improve instruction and promote collaboration so that every student can benefit from a tightly aligned, standards based curriculum both students and teachers can embrace. Ms. Gibson also serves as Smith Elementary’s Grade Level Chairperson, Spelling Bee Coordinator, Cross County/Track Coach, and on the Curriculum Mapping Committee. She is also very involved in the community with her church and the Alzheimer’s Association.
Ms. Burrus believes that when students can rely on their strengths to demonstrate learning, they become more confident. She cites an important lesson she learned at a leadership seminar about a decade ago: teacher efficacy was the number one factor in determining student success. She now focuses on meeting her students wherever they are academically, and then doing whatever she can to lead them to success. As a STEM Fellows Program member, she now works to include critical thinking and problem-solving in every classroom lesson. Ms. Burrus is also a cabinet member participant in the CSAS Shared Leadership Team, a presenter at the National Paideia Conference and Magnet Schools of America conference, and the facilitator of the CSAS Earth Club.
Ms. Hubbuch believes it is critical for teachers to model professional behavior and work ethic at all times. She believes student engagement is key to success, so she continually works on ways to engage every student through her lesson plans. One success story Ms. Hubbuch points to is the Science Genius program, which merges scientific concepts and hip hop music. The program was initially organized by Chattanooga State, and although it no longer has community partners, Ms. Hubbuch is continuing the program first in house and then against other schools to promote engagement of students with lyrics infusing scientific terms and theories. Ms. Hubbuch also won the first ever Teacherpreneur competition hosted by the Public Education Foundation, is a member of the Science Leaders Network, and is co-founder of The Howard School’s Outdoor Leadership Club.
Currently, all three teachers are competing at the regional level.