Connie Huff Named Year's Top Teacher

In The News Observer this week The Fannin County School System held its annual Teacher of the Year Banquet on January 30 to celebrate the achievements of the five teachers of the year from each of the schools in the county, and to name the countywide winner of the teacher of the year award. Connie Huff was selected as the 2007 countywide teacher of the year and Lesa Burgess-Phillips was chosen as runner-up.

This is a night that the school system can come together to celebrate the noble profession of teaching and to honor the teachers of the Fannin County School System who have been chosen by their peers as the shining stars of that profession, the Superintendent of Schools said. Th banquet was sponsored by BB7T Bank, and was attended by many teacher of the year award recipients from past years, current school faculty, members of the board of educating and school administrators.

Parents speak that they are very lucky to have teachers like this in their schools. All of the nominees for this year's countywide teacher of the year award have spent their entire careers teaching in Fannin County and several of them grew up i the region and attended Fannin schools. There is 74 total years of people who taught all in Fannin County and this it is a lot for the system, coming from the Director of Student Services.

High school Principle Davenport says he is proud of the Burgess-Phillips accomplishment. Ms. Burgess-Phillips is very efficient in the classroom, she has a very Strong passion for teaching. The best days of teaching for huff have been the days when her students experienced success and she was there to help them along the way to find their moment to shine.

Huff feels like her favorite part of teaching is being able to work with the children, and getting to know them as they grew up. Down through the years you see many different faces and personalities that you would think it would be easy to forget them, but still after years pass you never forget a face or name, and also having them to remember the teacher.

All of the nominees for the countywide teacher of the year received certificates, gifts and cash awards. The Superintendent said that this was one of the best parts of her job. huff gave credit to those who taught her over the course of her education for being selected as the countywide teacher of the year.