Dr. Russell Dyer, director of Cleveland City Schools, announced that two Cleveland City Schools’ teachers have been selected as regional semi-finalists for teacher of the year in their respective grade bands and will advance in the Tennessee Department of Education’s Teacher of the Year selection process.
Ms. Sheron Smith, second grade teacher at Arnold Memorial Elementary, and Ms. Sarah Thomas, seventh grade teacher at Cleveland Middle School, were both notified of this honor by the Tennessee Department of Education.
Ms. Smith is in her 17th year as a teacher at Arnold Memorial Elementary School. Her principal, Mr. Mike Chai, shared this about her, “Sheron Smith works tirelessly to ensure student mastery of the content. Her excellent knowledge of the curriculum and what students need for success is apparent in her classroom teaching and students’ academic results.”
Ms. Thomas is in her eighth year as a teacher at Cleveland Middle School. Ms. Thomas’s principal, Dr. Leneda Laing, said, “Ms. Thomas is a dynamic educator who crafts her lessons to incite excitement from her students. She incorporates technology to teach in depth concepts and her students love to learn in her classroom. She also serves our students through coaching and employs the Capturing Kids’ Hearts model with them.”
Dr. Dyer said, "Ms. Smith and Ms. Thomas are two outstanding examples of the high quality educators we have in Cleveland City Schools. We are very proud of their success and wish them the best as they advance in the teacher of the year selection process. We know they will represent the outstanding teaching staff in Cleveland City Schools well.”