By Nicole Thomas
Starkville School District Teacher of the Year Ginger Tedder is the 2015 Teacher of the Year for Mississippi’s Third Congressional District and a finalist for Mississippi Teacher of the Year.
Ms. Tedders shares this honor with her fellow teachers, parents and students.
“My community gives unparalleled support to its students and teachers, and my selection for this honor is certainly a collective accomplishment,” said Tedder. “My amazing family and friends have provided an invaluable support system, and they have immeasurably impacted my life and career.”
“Ms. Tedder is a shining example of the high standards that the faculty of SHS represents,” said Principal David Baggett. “Ms. Tedder is dedicated to her students, and she seeks to provide them with meaningful educational experiences.”
Ms. Tedder delivered her 2014 Teacher of the Year message to her colleagues during SSD’s opening convocation from the Empire State Building where she was participating in the New York Stock Exchange Euronext Teachers’ Workshop, a competitive fellowship program awarded to recognize teaching excellence.
Ms. Tedder began her teaching career in the Starkville School District in 2005. She also earned recognition as SSD’s Teacher of the Year in 2008.
Ms. Tedder, who holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Education from Mississippi State University and a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Arkansas State University, is currently a teacher of economics and history at SHS. She’s taught advanced and regular classes in economics, U.S. History, geography, Mississippi Studies, and English, while also taking on the additional duties of student government sponsor, stock market game coordinator, Miss Yellow Jacket director, and chair of the Shared Decision Making Committee at SHS.
“Ms. Tedder engages her students in the learning process. As an economics teacher, she commands lessons on supply and demand and involves local business owners to provide real world experiences for her students,” said SSD Supt. Lewis Holloway.
These types of learning opportunities for her students earned Ms. Tedder the 2012 U.S. Senator Thad Cochran Mississippi Economics Teacher of the Year, which honors outstanding teachers in any subject area who show assessed increases in economic, entrepreneurship and financial literacy of our state’s students.
Ms. Tedder’s impact on her students is just as profound beyond her classroom.
During the past year, Ms. Tedder has facilitated three student summits and a Discovery Day Road Show to welcome our newest Yellow Jackets to SHS as we become the Starkville Oktibbeha School District.
“Her efforts to engage and involve students from three high schools to allow them to build relationships provided the opportunity for dialogue and discussion, significantly easing the transition for all of our students,” added Holloway.
She’s also orchestrated a living history project that includes a cemetery tour which brings Starkville’s most prominent citizens to life, and she’s organized care packages for soldiers alongside her students.
Most recently, SHS recognized Ms. Tedder with the school’s first Tireless Teacher Award. Baggett says she was the obvious choice for the honor.
“Ms. Tedder is seen at every kind of event in which her students participate. She is a person that volunteers rather than being drafted in assisting with the events at Starkville High School,” added Baggett.
“Ms. Tedder’s dedication to her students as a classroom teacher and her willingness to take that extra step to improve any facet of the educational experience make her an outstanding representative for our district and our state as a leading educator,” said Holloway.
Ms. Tedder will attend the Mississippi Teacher of the Year Awards Program next month in Jackson.