Rehoboth Road Middle School Teacher Maria Haven was named the Griffin-Spalding County School System (GSCS) 2023-24 District-Wide Teacher of the Year. Haven will go on to represent the district as she competes for the 2025 Georgia Teacher of the Year. Haven was surprised with the announcement at the 2023 Back to School Celebration on July 24 in front of all 1400+ GSCS employees.
Thanks to a partnership with Cronic Automotive Group, Haven will be driving a new 2023 Nissan Rogue to work every day this school year. The Teacher of the Year 1st Runner-Up, Jane Burke from Spalding High School, received a three-night vacation at her choice of Hilton Head or St. Simons Island. The Teacher of the Year 2nd Runner-Up, Leslie Brooks from Futral Road Elementary, received a two-night vacation at her choice of Hilton Head or St. Simons Island.
Haven is a math support teacher at Rehoboth Road Middle School who serves 6th, 7th and 8th grade students that receive Multi-Tiered Support Services. She attended GSCS and graduated from Griffin High School in 1997. After graduating high school, she majored in Business Management at Florida A&M University. Haven made the decision to leave college to enter the workforce where she achieved much success in a 16-year management career. In 2020, she returned to college and earned her bachelor’s in Business Administration from Troy University. In 2021, Haven earned her master’s in Teaching in Middle Grades Education from Georgia College & State University and is currently pursuing her specialist degree in Teacher Leadership. She is the girls' track coach, extended learning tutor, member of MTSS and PBIS team and co-leader of the coding and robotics club at Rehoboth Road Middle School. Haven is very active in volunteer work for the district and serves as the vice president of the Spalding High School Jaguar Touchdown Club.
GSCS Superintendent Dr. Keith Simmons stated, “We are all excited for Maria to represent GSCS as the District Teacher of the Year. I would like to acknowledge and celebrate Jane Burke from Spalding High School and Leslie Brooks from Futral Road Elementary for being finalists for this recognition. I also want to thank the selection committee for their time and efforts in judging applications, conducting interviews and observations during this process. We look forward to Mrs. Haven serving as the ambassador for our educators. We will be able to congratulate, celebrate and recognize her for the next 12 months.”
“I believe in meeting my students where they are in order to get them where they need to go. Many of my students have never been successful in a math class and motivation is a key component of my teaching philosophy. In every lesson that I teach, I motivate my students through positive affirmation and goal setting. I provide incentives for reaching their targets and we celebrate success daily. Motivating students is the cornerstone of who I am as an educator. I genuinely enjoy the aha moment when the lightbulb goes on in a student's mind and they truly begin to understand what I am teaching,” stated Haven.
Rehoboth Road Middle Assistant Principal Carla Walsh stated, “Haven is a passionate educator who goes above and beyond for students. Not only does she form strong relationships, but she has high expectations for learning for every student and works tirelessly to help each one master standards. She uses innovative and creative teaching methods to engage her students, creating a classroom environment where a love of learning is firmly established.”
Candidates from all 19 schools completed applications and were scored by outside evaluators to determine the three finalists. Interviews and classroom observations with the finalists were conducted by a panel of judges and a rubric was followed to determine the Teacher of the Year.
Sponsored by the Georgia Department of Education, the Georgia Teacher of the Year Program annually recognizes outstanding public school teachers at both local and state levels. This is a prestigious award program focused on excellence in teaching.