Beverly Harris, music teacher at Pepperell Primary School, was named the 2008 Floyd County Schools “Teacher of the Year” at the October meeting of the Floyd County Board of Education.  Mrs. Harris has taught music for 23 years and has spent most of her time in elementary grades in the Pepperell community.  Harris sees herself as a teacher who uses music to teach much more than music.  Harris is a teacher who uses music as her vehicle to reach children.  “I have taught English, grammar, science, and history in my music class.  We use songs that illustrate the use of nouns, songs that teach children the 50 states or multiplication facts,” she said.  “We don’t all learn in the same way and sometimes a child will learn something from a song that the child will remember forever.”    

Harris seems to have been successful in using music to teach lessons that young children do not realize they are learning.  When the announcement was made at Pepperell Primary that she had been selected “Teacher of the Year,” one of her young students said, “I didn’t know she was a teacher.”  Harris appreciated that realization. She said, “That is a compliment.  If they can learn something in my class and have fun doing it, then I have been successful.”  Harris goal is not to make performers or music majors of her students.  She just wants to help them appreciate the different types of music and to pass on a love of music to the next generation.  Harris said, “I just want to bring the joy of music to each child.” 

Beverly Harris was selected as the top teacher from three finalists for the system honor. The three finalists were: Suzanne Forsyth, a fourth and fifth-grade teacher at Pepperell Elementary School, Pam Wilson, a math teacher at Armuchee High School, and Harris. The finalists were selected by a review committee from the Northwest Georgia Regional Educational Service Agency (RESA.) The committee made the selections from written applications submitted by the "Teacher of the Year" representatives from each school in the Floyd County School System.

Mrs. Harris was selected as Floyd County’s "Teacher of the Year" by a panel made up of retired educators from the Rome/Floyd Retired Teachers Association. The three finalists participated in personal interviews and classroom observations as a part of the selection process. Mrs. Harris received $500.00, a plaque for her classroom, and a "Teacher of the Year" commemorative apple from the Northwest Georgia Credit Union. Each finalist also received $100.00 from Northwest Georgia Credit Union, sponsors of the Floyd County Schools “Teacher of the Year” program.

Beverly Harris will now represent Floyd County Schools in the Georgia Teacher of the Year program.  The Georgia Teacher of the Year will be announced by the Georgia Department of Education in the spring.

Teachers honored as individual school “Teachers of the Year” were: Hope Cowan, Alto Park Elementary; Sue Webb, Armuchee Elementary; Pam Wilson, Armuchee High; Darlene Freeman, Armuchee Middle; Jill McLean, Cave Spring Elementary; Laney Comer Crews, Coosa High; Lila Culberson, Coosa Middle; Jennifer Ellison, Floyd County Education Center; Beth Walker, Floyd County Technical High; Krista Dillard, Garden Lakes Elementary; Tracy Schroeder, Glenwood Primary; Heather Hays Walker, Johnson Elementary; Michille Hyder, McHenry Primary; Michele Lambert, Midway Primary; Sarah Durrett Peak, Model Elementary; Kelly Staud, Model High; Marshall Rice, Model Middle; Suzanne Forsyth, Pepperell Elementary; Alana Ellenburg, Pepperell High;  Vickie Gee, Pepperell Middle; and Beverly Harris, Pepperell Primary.