Mount-Simmons Named District Teacher of the Year

Teachers shape their students' lives for the better by looking past the surface to develop the potential that lies underneath.

Such was the message of the district's newly selected Teacher of the Year, in her remarks March 10 at a banquet in the east Campus cafeteria in Carrabelle.

"That's why we do it. We see the potential," said Elinor Mount-Simmons, in prepared remarks she delivered soon after Superintendent Jo Ann Gander announced her selection.

"We look pass the snotty nose, the sleepy eyes, the rumpled attire, the distinctive hair, the pierced brows, the whining, the drama, the disgruntled parents, the unconcerned parents, the I-don't-know-what-to-do parents, the lack of support, the lack of funding, the lack of enough-time-to-do-all-we-have-to-do-between-the 7¼-hours-they-give-us-to-do-it," she said. "We look past all of those would-be hindrances because we see the potential of our children."

Mount-Simmons, who represented the East campus, was selected among three finalists, who also included Laura Baney: an ESE teacher on West campus in Apalachicola, and Laura King, a fourth grade teacher on Central campus in Eastpoint.

After teaching more than two decades at Chapman Elementary School, Mount-Simmons now heads up a program she created called the Academic Recovery Program, which provides a way for students who are potentially dropouts to graduate with the peer group they started with by studying on the fast track.

She began her remarks by thinking God for His many blessings and then recounted her career in education that began in January 1980 when a teacher at her mom's school in Panama City read an advertisement in the Apalachicola Times for a teacher at Chapman to complete the year in a fifth grade classroom.

"Although I was not a certified teacher, did not go to school to teach, did not have my degree in education and never, ever planned on teaching because I had no patience for children, I applied for the position anyway," she said. "And here I am 27½ years later, having enjoyed myself thoroughly the greatest majority of the time. The lesson here is to never say never!"

Mount-Simmons spoke out two other life-changing experiences, the birth of her son and later that of her twin daughters. "For someone who had no patience for children and therefore did not like them very much, the majority of my life-changing experiences have centered on children, thus I am so thankful that God knows me better than I know myself and decided that this daughter of His, His very own creation, would intertwine her life with the lives of children and thus placed me on the path to accept His calling to teach," she said.

Mount-Simmons also thanked God for touching the heart of Rose McCoy and Gloria Tucker, "who both took a chance on a very young teacher-to-be.

"Because of them I was blessed to have met some incredibly wonderful people at Chapman, dear friends, I had the joy of sharing 25 years with, which is half my life," she said. "Those people - teachers, aides, office workers, custodians and lunchroom workers - all majorly impacted my life and I thank them all for the special memories, memories I will cherish forever."

She also expressed gratitude to assistant superintendent Mikel Clark and former principal Nick O'Grady for their help.

"And now as we consolidate, here on the East Campus, my cup continues to overflow with the people I've met here and worked alongside," she said. "Because of the character traits that make us all uniquely individual, we all chose different routes to get here, but we are still all on the same journey. This journey has many abbreviated intersections-FCAT, IPDP, NCLB, AYP; and sometimes bumpy roads - no pay raise, student morale, student absenteeism, lack of parental involvement, the annoying roadblocks on our 30-minute drive to work and sometimes we need to take detours - In-services, Christmas Break, Spring Break, summertime, and the occasional day off just because. But, we continue on this journey, rain, shine or hurricane because we hold true the principles of our Code of Ethics that states ‘The educator‘s primary professional concern will always be for the student and for the development of the student's potential.'"

The evening featured a banquet prepared by Cheryl Creek's culinary arts students, as well as a multi-media presentation prepared by Patti Creamer. Linda Gibson provide an interpretive dance as well.

The superintendent also presented plaques of appreciation to Al Hammock and Ray Cromer, both executives with Envision Credit Union, which sponsored the banquet.