Lynn Gordon White Hardin Valley Elementary

Mary Sue Pruitt Northwest Middle

Lou Gallo West High

News Release

A Committee of educators, community representatives, and former teachers of the Year has designated three teachers from across Knox County to be Teachers of the year for 2008.

The winners portfolios will be sent to the East Tennessee Region of the State Department of Education for further competition and possible advancement to the state level. Six teachers from around the state will be named Tennessee Teachers of the Year. One of them will advance to the national competition.

This year the candidate's scores were very close. As a result, the following runners-up should be congratulated also.

Grades PreK-4

1st Runner-up

• Tina Holt, Ball Camp

2nd Runners-up

• Janet Reinholz
  Sequoyah
• Kristy Roop
  Adrian Burnett

3rd Runner-up

• Debora Hatch,
  Farragut Intermediate

4th Runnerup

• Summer Tucker
  Blue Grass

Grades 5-8

1st Runner-up

• Suzanne Stelling
  West Valley Middle

2nd Runner-up

• Karla Fultz
  A. L. Lotts

3rd Runner-up

• Brandi Self
  Mooreland Heights

4th Runnerup

• Joann Bost
  Whittle Springs

Grades 9-12

1st Runners-up

• Michael Blankenship
  Halls High
• John Valentine
  Fulton High

2nd Runner-up

• Debbie Sayers
  West High

3rd Runner-up

• Noelle Turner
  Bearden High

4th Runnerup

• Saralee Taylor
  Powell High

After receiving her BSE degree from the University of Central Arkansas in 1984, Pruitt earned her MS from the University of Tennessee in 1986, then earned secondary education certification in biology in 1995 and administration of elementary through secondary education certification in 1997. Pruitt meets standards as a Highly Qualified Teacher in middle school science, middle school language arts and reading and is also certified as an Urban Specialist. She began her teaching career at Sam E. Hill Early Childhood Center from 1988-1992, taught vocational education at Conway High School in Conway, Arkansas before returning to Knoxville where she was an instructor in Child Development courses for Roane State Community College and Pellissippi State Technical Community College from 1999-2001. She has been at Northwest Middle since 2000, serving as assistant principal in 2004-05. Pruitt currently serves as the discipline chairperson/Team leader and as a mentor for new teachers.  She has presented at many educational conferences. Among many awards throughout her career, Pruitt received a Milken Service Award Grant of $5,000 in 2004.

"I believe education is an integral part of young people’s visions for their lives, and I must work with extreme dedication and diligence to introduce them to a subject they will apply and appreciate for a lifetime,” Pruitt said. “My greatest ambition is to serve young people and watch them reach their dreams.”

Personal Philosophy of Teaching:

My philosophy of teaching is a complex combination of my values, beliefs, and the way of life I have chosen. I believe as an educator I am preparing young people for a productive future. I believe the time I spend with a specific group of young people is a mere part of their climb to their future. I believe one objective of education is to give knowledge for the purpose of interest in a subject and its application to life.

One of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s quotes is "If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well." Although many children aspire to be professional football players, or famous rap musicians, the reality is they do not reach those aspirations. Education is an avenue for allowing children to have grandiose dreams without squashing them. It is an avenue for empowering young people to dream and have visions for their future that will be personally satisfying and for major accomplishments in a variety of arenas. My job is not to just each a subject, but to instill confidence, reject fear, produce work that is a source of pride, and for young people to vigorously apply themselves to any situation.

I once had a new year's resolution of "every day, every time". My current principal as a motto, "every child, every day". These similar ideas are constant in my philosophy of teaching. Attending the funeral of a student was an overwhelming turning point in my teaching career. I know that what little time I have to spend in the lives of young people must be spent with diligence, commitment, and a tiring but non-stop physical and mental exertion. Generally, I am in contact with a group of students for one to two years. This is a minute piece of the picture of their lives. I believe if I work hard every day for every child; if I run and do not grow weary; if I give each student grace and mercy as it is given to me; then all involved will have a positive experience that will be a strong foundation for the future of both the students and me. My philosophy of teaching involves planning carefully for every lesson and including every child, every day. Every minute matters when you have a limited time with young people.

I grew up in a rural area with a mother who was a biologist and a father who was a forester, and they paved the way for a natural appreciation for the outdoors and any hobby or study of nature. I find it easy to pass that tradition on to my students through middle school science classes. Although they may not study science in their post-secondary experience, they will certainly have been exposed to it in a variety of ways. Together we have planted flowers and vegetables, raised animals, cleaned up the school environment, and prepared science lessons for neighboring elementary students. We have chased each other with worms, made microscope slides of our scabs, thrown eggs to demonstrate forces and motion, and participated in other gross but fun exercises. I have patiently and cheerfully presented science in any way possible to instill an appreciation for the subject and its applicability to everyday life. I believe education must be useful and interesting, and science can be presented both ways.

To weave these three viewpoints together, I believe education is an integral part of young people's visions for their lives, and I must work with extreme dedication and diligence to introduce them to a subject they will apply and appreciate for a lifetime. My greatest ambition is to serve young people and watch them reach their dreams.