Lydia Palmer Named District Teacher of the Year!

Lydia Palmer Named District Teacher of the Year!
Posted on 10/09/2019

Lydia Palmer, a sixth grade teacher at Fairplay Middle School (FMS), has been named the Douglas County School System Teacher of the Year for 2019-2020! Palmer was recognized recently at a banquet for all 35 school-level Teachers of the Year. She was described by one committee judge as someone who reminds them of their favorite teachers in school – the ones who are kind, fun, passionate, trustworthy, caring, and concerned. Another judge described Palmer as a teacher that radiates passion and an authentic love for teaching.

Speaking about her role as a teacher, Palmer says, “For most of us, if we’re lucky, teaching is a calling – not just a profession, but a way of life. It’s about building character, teaching responsibility, encouraging the unmotivated child, and modeling productive traits.” After being named Teacher of the Year, she said she was humbled and expressed gratitude for the support she receives from her family at home and her  "family" at FMS.

Palmer has been part of the Douglas County School System for 36 years. She spent 13 years attending district schools and has been a teacher at FMS for 23 years.

Robin Williams, Chapel Hill Elementary School kindergarten teacher, was named Elementary School Teacher of the Year, and Erica Berry, English teacher at the College & Career Institute, was named High School Teacher of the Year.

Other semifinalists for district Teacher of the Year in addition to Palmer, Williams, and Berry were Tamara Allen from Yeager Middle School, Joel Boyce from Beulah Elementary School, and Meg Hart from Douglas County High School.

As the 2019-2020 district Teacher of the Year, Palmer will represent Douglas County for the next year at various speaking engagements and will compete for the 2020-2021 Georgia Teacher of the Year.

Before naming the three finalists and top teacher for the district, guest speaker Dr. Charlie Rouse gave a moving speech that both honored teachers from his past and celebrated all teachers. Dr. Rouse is a cardiologist and founder of Georgia Cardiology Associates, CDR Research, and The Rouse Foundation.

In the photo above, Palmer gets a hug from a young fan -- her son Mac!

Finalists
Finalists Lydia Palmer, Robin Williams, and Erica Berry pose with Superintendent Trent North.

Click here to see more pictures from the Teacher of the Year banquet. We are proud of all 35 of our Teachers of the Year!

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