A teacher at Deer Chase Elementary School has been named one of the 10 finalists to be selected Georgia’s Teacher of the Year for 2023.
Vicki Knox, currently serving as Richmond County’s Teacher of the Year for 2022, teaches fourth and fifth grade math.
Knox said she had been hoping to be chosen as a finalist but was still surprised when it happened.
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“A lot of my fellow educators, they’ve congratulated me, just, you know, giving me accolades,” she said. “They’ve just been extremely supportive and very complimentary, of myself and my career. So, I’ve been extremely appreciative of that and very honored.”
Knox has been teaching for 22 years, but it is actually her “second chapter.” In her first career, she was a broker with Merrill Lynch.
When her son was born, she knew she would not be able to maintain her work schedule. Plus, she wanted to be able to spend time with her son. That put her on the path to teaching.
She went for training to become a teacher and, soon after she started, she realized a classroom was exactly where she was meant to be.
“It was amazing. I just, I had the best time ever with my students. It was just being able to work with them and teach them and grow with them.” she said. “I also learned so much from them as well. It was just I thought, this is really serious. So, I quickly adjusted understanding that, to be standing in front of a group of students teaching and guiding and sharing and learning from them. This is to not to be taken lightly. This is serious.”
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Math makes up one of the four principals of STEM education, an educational discipline of growing importance with Augusta’s cyber community.
“Because cyber is such a big portion of academia now, we kind of blend in with just understanding what cyber is, you know, what does that mean? We also teach the children about proper internet etiquette, like things that you should and shouldn’t do. We also teach them about having safe passwords, and all of those types of things and how to comport yourself online. We talk about the different careers in cyber,” Knox said.
Georgia’s Teacher of the Year announcement will be made on April 30.
“Of course, you know, I’m hoping for the best. But I just I’m so honored just to be one of the 10 finalists,” she said. “I think that is just an honor that I can just live with as well. But I’m just kind of calm. I’m trying to take it easy and I’m trying to just enjoy the ride. That’s my thing. That’s my motto, my daily mantra. Just enjoy the moment whatever the moment brings.”
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a general assignment reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com
