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By Brian Shumate
Troup County School System Superintendent

In this week of national celebration of school teachers all across America, I want to take this opportunity to formally thank and recognize our outstanding Troup County School System teachers for the incredible work they have done this school year. We have over 650 teachers and the passion, commitment and resolve they have shown this year in the face of the pandemic is to be commended and celebrated!

Our system worked last summer to open schools in August and we have remained open, with the exception of a few days, since Aug. 17. Our teachers are the most vital employees on the front line who are educating our kids every day both in person and virtually. Our teachers have navigated every possible situation in relation to the pandemic (e.g., mask wearing, temperature taking, social distancing, continuous cleaning and sanitizing, learning to use a new virtual platform, navigating virtual learning and continuous quarantining of staff and students) and have remained committed to educating our students to minimize the learning loss that is so widely discussed.

By educating over 80% of our students in person and nearly 20% virtually, our teachers have continued to educate, nurture and push our students while many school districts around the nation have only offered virtual learning. Our teachers have also shown unparalleled commitment to our families and I would argue they have been the backbone of this entire community for the past year. I often say that the Troup County School System is the one entity that touches every inch of this county and our teachers are at the core of everything we do.

I am a firm believer in facing challenges head on and our teachers have done that in the face of the pandemic with great courage and conviction. I have heard from many parents, community members and business and industry leaders who are so thankful that our school system is open and our teachers are at work every day doing their very best to educate and take care of our students. The lessons learned during the past year will be long lasting and will and have set the stage for the future of the Troup County School System, and I am proud to be associated with such an outstanding group of educational professionals.

Kudos to you Troup County School System teachers! Please know how much we all appreciate you!