Castle Heights Upper Elementary School's Debbie Vaughn is among nine finalists for the Tennessee Department of Education's 2011 Teacher of the Year Award, according to a statement released on Wednesday, June 9. The nine finalists are comprised of elementary, middle and high school educators from each of the state's three grand divisions. Grand Division winners and Teach of the Year will be chosen from the group this fall.
Vaughn teaches English As A Second Language (ESL) at CHUE and, during her 20-plus year career, has taught English As A Second Language to all ages, from adults to Kindergarten. She holds a Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Florida and is also a National Boards Certified Teacher. Vaughn serves as the Lebanon Special School District's ESL Specialist and assists other ESL teachers in the district with methods, strategy and planning.
"I am very proud to have such outstanding teachers in this state," Education Commissioner Timothy Webb said. "These teachers were instrumental in implementing the Tennessee Diploma Project this year and are examples of the kind of support we will need to successfully implement our Race to the Top efforts statewide. Teacher of the Year is about just one teacher, but I want to thank all of our teachers for the tremendous work in ensuring the success of every single Tennessee student."
The nine finalists for 2011 Teacher of the Year are:
- Debbie Vaughn: Castle Heights Upper Elementary, Lebanon Special School District
- Lisa Bell: Camden Elementary, Benton County
- Deborah Chancellor: Minglewood Elementary, Clarksville-Montgomery County
- Cheryl Deaton: Pigeon Forge Primary, Sevier County
- Davis Falvey: Snowden School, Memphis City
- Janey Jackson: Germantown High School, Shelby County
- Karen Kelley: Pigeon Forge High School, Sevier County
- Jason Robinson: Ocoee Middle School, Bradley County
- Dianne Sawyer: Tullahoma High School, Tullahoma City
The Teacher of the Year program is sponsored by the Niswonger Foundation. A partner for nearly seven years, the foundation provides $21,000 in monetary awards to encourage professional development, graduate study, higher student outcomes and mentoring. As a show of appreciation and encouragement for teacher excellence, the foundation sponsors a banquet each fall for finalists.
The final winner will represent Tennessee in the National Teacher of the Year competition and is an ambassador for education throughout the year. To qualify, candidates must have been teaching full-time for at least five years, have a proven record of using creative, research-based teaching strategies resulting in measurable achievement and be effective school and community leaders. A panel of professional educators from across the state scored applications to identify these finalists.
