Mercer honors Six, colleagues as Teachers of the Year

By CHARLY MARKWART

BLUEFIELD — On most days, teachers are accustomed to spending their time behind the scenes, quietly working to turn the light bulbs of understanding on in the minds of their young students.

That wasn’t the case Tuesday evening, though, when some of Mercer County’s very best educators received their own well-deserved moment in the spotlight at the 2009-2010 Teacher of the Year Dinner. The special event annually recognizes the Teacher of the Year nominees from each school in the county, as well as the overall award winner.

“Each year, this night is one of the highlights of the school year, because it’s a time when we get to recognize the best,” Mercer County Schools Superintendent Deborah Akers told the crowd of over 100 teachers, principals, school officials and special guests gathered in the banquet room of Bluefield’s Quality Hotel. “I know that most of you would be very modest and say that you are just one of many, and while that may be true, this is your night, and the time for you to shine.”

Last spring, each county principal selected one outstanding teacher to represent their school in the pool of nominees for the prestigious Mercer County Teacher of the Year award. Near the culmination of the 2008-09 school year, a county panel evaluated packets submitted by those principals and selected Lashmeet/Matoaka’s Deborah Six as the Teacher of the Year. Six then went on to represent the county in the state contest, where she became a finalist.

“It was an honor for Mercer County to have Debbie Six represent us on the state level this year as a finalist, and certainly she should have been the State Teacher of the Year. But we know they make lots of mistakes up there in Charleston,” Akers quipped as she introduced Six, who received a standing ovation from her fellow educators. “Debbie is a 22-year veteran of our school system…She is a lifelong learner, who became nationally board certified within the past few years. She continues to work on graduate level courses, and she is a leader in the community, as well, where she has served as the faculty senate chair and currently is a member of her school’s local school improvement committee.”

Akers went on to praise Six for other extensive work in the educational field, including involvement in several state and national conferences, where she has given presentations on brain research, as well as her participation in a recent educational exchange program in China. In those endeavors and many more, Lashmeet/Matoaka Principal Linda Richards added, Six has always been willing to go the extra mile to learn the newest and best methods of teaching her beloved students.

“Debbie has always embraced change, and when you give her a target, she meets it,” said Richards. “There is nothing I have asked her to do that she hasn’t achieved, and I’m just tickled that she’s a part of our staff.”

Richards concluded her proud tribute by giving her employee the one compliment every dedicated teacher strives to earn.

“If I was a parent of a kindergarten student, Debbie would be the one I would want to get my child started right on the road to education,” she said. “She does a fabulous job, and I enjoy having her at work every day.”

During her address to the crowd, Six spoke of her zeal for early education, her affinity for change and the gratitude she feels toward the many co-workers, family members and supporters who helped her to win such an honor.

“I want you all to know that I haven’t won this award all by myself,” she said. “It is humbling to be named Mercer County’s Teacher of the Year, and I tried to the best of my ability to represent all of you in Charleston this past summer. But, in all honesty, I am no different than any of you. Like you, I stand in front of children every day, hoping to make a difference in a child’s life.”

In return, she said, those youngsters touch her life in a way that nobody else can.

“I love those little hands that give big hugs, and those moments when, like one student told me recently, ‘Ms. Six, my light has come on,’” she said. “Early education is my passion, and my goal is to put that love of learning into them.”

The committed educator went on to quote Mahatma Gandhi in a few words that she says her teaching career has always been based upon.

“He said ‘Be the change you wish to see in the world,’” she said. “You have got to change, and boy, are we teachers flexible. I am an advocate for change, because, just think: We are getting these little ones ready to compete in a global market.”

Before Six’s acceptance speech, the Teacher of the Year nominees from each school were recognized by Akers and members of the Board of Education, who presented each school winner with a framed certificate and a gift. Former winners of the award, which has been given each year in Mercer County since 1962, were also recognized throughout the evening. Later, the occasion was concluded with one final heartfelt note of thanks voiced to all of those very special educational leaders who earned the chance to attend this week’s banquet.

“I would be remiss if I didn’t thank each of you for touching the lives of children,” said last year’s Mercer County Teacher of the Year and state finalist Tracy Samosky, who served as this year’s Mistress of Ceremonies. “Thank you.”

— Contact CharLy Markwart at cmarkwart@ptonline.net.