Local & State Headlines

Dougherty teacher of the year named

• As Dougherty County's Teacher of the Year, Laura Wasley will represent the county in competition for the state title.

Joshua Brown

ALBANY — West Town Elementary School third-grade teacher Laura Wasley was recognized Thursday night as Dougherty County School System’s Teacher of the Year.

“I’m very nervous. I never expected this,” Wasley told the crowded banquet hall after receiving the award. “You know, when I was selected as the Teacher of the Year for my school, West Town Elementary, I was very honored because I work with a school full of teachers who give of themselves on a daily basis.

“I applaud all teachers who give every day to help children succeed in this ever-changing, sometimes cruel world that we live in.”

Wasley said it was the simple joys that teaching brings that made her want to pursue the job. She then told the story of a recent field trip to Atlanta after which one of the students told her “This is the best thing I’ve ever done.”

“Those are the things I find rewarding in teaching,” she said. “Even if it’s just the little things that happen in that student’s life.”

Wasley will compete for the state Teacher of the Year award as Dougherty County’s representative. She was selected from a group of eight finalists, who were narrowed down from Teachers of the Year from each of the county’s 26 schools, School Superintendent Sally Whatley said.

“(Wasley) is being honored on behalf of all the teachers in the Dougherty County School system and the extraordinary work they do on behalf of the children,” she said. “It’s a very special recognition. We’re very proud to have her represent the Dougherty County School System as Teacher of the Year.”

Wasley particularly enjoys teaching science and reading, and helped to organize the school system’s Science Olympiad this year, Whatley said before announcing Wasley as the award recipient.

Of all the county’s top teachers, the eight finalists are selected by a screening committee after filling out applications. Those eight are then observed in their teaching environments by each member of a selection committee, Selection Committee Chairman Walter Judge said.

The committee members then rank the teachers and the teacher with the highest overall score is given the award, he said.

“What we do then is come together and have a grid we feed this information into,” he said. “The teacher that comes up with the highest overall score from the observations, that is the teacher of the year.

“It’s an honor to be selected by your peers as the teacher of the year from your school.”

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