(Editor’s note: The Augusta Press will feature each of the five finalists for Richmond County’s Teacher of the Year. The winner will be announced at a Sept. 28 banquet.)
For Terri Green, a Richmond County School System graduate, working as a substitute teacher opened the doors for a new life passion, but it was only after she had children that she was able to pursue her life’s calling.
Green, a science teacher at Lucy C. Laney Comprehensive High School, has worked with the Richmond County School System for 13 years, and has recently been announced as a finalist for the county’s Teacher of the Year award.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in biology from Paine College, a Master of Arts in teaching with an emphasis on curriculum and instruction from Augusta State University, as well as a Tier I Certification in Leadership from Augusta University. She is also currently enrolled at Grand Canyon University to earn an education specialist degree.
Although her mother was an elementary school teacher, Green said she was not interested in the young students, but rather enjoyed the meaningful relationships one could build with high schoolers.
“I just felt like, in high school, ‘this is where my superpower is,’” she said. “Just building relationships with that age group is a lot of fun, and just to see where their mind is going as far as moving into adulthood.”
Although some students might be inclined to treat science as a graduation ‘check in the box’ subject, Green said she tries to keep students interested by supplying them with real-world scenarios and
“People always want to experiment and wonder why, but they don’t want to call it ‘science,’ but, technically, science is everything,” she said. “I try to be hands-on and get [students] to be thinking, trying and doing.”
By letting students feel as though they are allowed to make mistakes, so long as they learn from them, Green said she believes in nurturing students’ critical thinking skills by analyzing past errors.
“Having them think, ‘well, what did I do wrong?’ and having them relate it to decisions they’re going to make later in life,” she said. “They’re learning how to problem solve and work with other people, whether you like the person or not.”
Like science, Green said she wants her students to know life is not always about getting the answer right the first time, but rather having the perseverance to keep trying until a solution is found.
By wearing many different hats as a teacher and trying to keep students engaged, Green said she has always believed in the significance of acting as a wise consultant and soundboard for students who might need a boost during tough times.
“I try to be unbiased when I give them advice. I tell them, ‘I’m going to give you my two cents, you spend it how you want to,’ but I tell people all the time, [teachers] are counselors, advisors, mentors, referees and more,” said Green. “So, when they’re asking us all these questions and trying to make all these decisions, sometimes they don’t have confidence.”
With some students feeling as though they do not have financial or emotional support from home, Green said she tries to always make her amateur scientists feel valued and accepted.
“I just try to be that person to motivate and encourage them no matter what, and to just give them some insight into what they are going to see down the road,” she said.
Wanting her students to feel her confidence in each of them, no matter their individual differences, Green said she also heavily prioritizes communicating how education can level the playing field for all.
“I want to be real and transparent with them. I want them to know that I will tell them the truth, even if it hurts,” she said. “I try to tell them we have to be resilient, we have to be flexible and we can’t ever quit. We have to keep pushing forward and always keep that goal in front of us until we reach it.”
A mother with two children who graduated high school a few years ago from Richmond County schools, Green said she knows firsthand how crucial high school maturity lends itself to making informed decisions about the future, especially when it relates to whether or not students will pursue further education.
“I want them to know that I care about them, and I want them to learn something about science, but also something they didn’t know about themselves,” she said. “That they learn something about just growing up in general, and that every decision comes with a consequence – good or bad.”
After finding out she not only won Teacher of the Year at her high school, but was also selected as a finalist for the county’s Teacher of the Year award, Green said she felt incredibly overjoyed.
“It’s just an honor to be nominated in this academy. I was so excited and just overwhelmed. I couldn’t believe it, because the application process is stringent and rigorous,” she said.
With 2011 being the most recent year a high school educator was selected as the county’s Teacher of the Year, Green said she is fully aware of her odds at winning being on the lower end of probabilities, but she is still determined to remain hopeful and try her best.
“The odds of me? It’s like playing Powerball, but if nothing else comes out of it, it is still an honor to be selected and I’m happy with that,” she said.
If, however, chosen to be the county’s Teacher of the Year, Green said she would utilize her year of representation to remind the community of the significant role teachers play in shaping the future.
“I think we sometimes forget that we are the catapult for everything and everyone. We’re harder on teachers at times, and we forget that they are human. We’re going to make a mistake or not do something perfect,” she said. “We need to pour positivity into our teachers, so that we can pour that back into the students.”
The Richmond County Teacher of the Year will be announced at a banquet on Thursday, Sept. 28, at the Augusta Marriott at the Convention Center starting at 7 p.m.
