Paulding County High Teacher Gets Top Honor

The 2013 Paulding County School District Teacher of the Year is Marc Pedersen of Paulding County High.

The announcement was made during a May 7 luncheon at the Paulding Northwest Atlanta Airport.

"Every minute that I'm in room 812," Pedersen said, "it does not feel like a job. Keeping the students engaged and keeping the students excited. That's the keyword to me. Every lesson that I have, I will step back and sort of reflect back upon that. And anytime things don't go well, I just feel like it's because the students were not engaged. That's my top priority when I come to the classroom: to get these students fired up about science."

This is how the Paulding Education Foundation described Pedersen in a Facebook post:

A Master Teacher is someone who connects with their students, creates independent learners and thinkers, has high expectations of students, and is able to communicate effectively. Mr. Pedersen is such a teacher. He is both efficient and effective in the classroom and motivates and instills in students an appetite for learning while simultaneously setting and helping them achieve high standards. Mr. Pedersen's character, work ethic, and genuine love of children make him an outstanding teacher. His contributions are not limited to the field of education. He willingly offers his support with activities and events at the school.

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