BUFORD, Ga.,- The Buford City School District is proud to announce that Buford High School special education teacher Maggie Pruitt has been named as a finalist for the 2022 Georgia Teacher of the Year Award.
The Georgia Department of Education released the names of the ten finalists today.
Finalists were chosen from a pool of applicants all selected from their district Teacher of the Year from the 2021 cohort, as the program was put on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s finalists will be called upon in the coming weeks for a formal interview and to deliver their speeches virtually to a panel of judges.
The official winner will be announced on August 7, 2021.
Mrs. Pruitt serves as the self-contained special education teacher at Buford High School in Buford, Georgia. She believes that success in the classroom is possible for all students, no matter their ability level.
Her classroom serves students from 9 grade through 12 grade with a curriculum that focuses on a well-rounded preparation for the possibility of independence after high school.
While experience within the school has helped her grow as a teacher, it has been her family that has helped mold her into the educator that she is today.
Pruitt grew up with a brother with very involved educational and medical needs, she came to see that limits cannot be set on individuals based on test scores, but rather on their ability to put forth the maximum effort and demonstrate a heart for others. Pruitt said, "These are the things that matter most."
At Buford High School, she focuses on students’ abilities and encourages them to reach their highest goals.
If selected as Teacher of the Year for the state of Georgia, Mrs. Pruitt will serve as an ambassador for the teaching profession. She will travel the state and nation for the following school year and be entered into the National Teacher of the Year competition.
Buford City Schools Superintendent Dr. Robert Downs was elated to hear of Mrs. Pruitt’s finalist status.
“Mrs. Pruitt continues to do amazing things at Buford. We are extremely proud of her and of all her accomplishments. A well-deserved recognition on the state’s behalf, Mrs. Pruitt has been the catalyst for innovation in our Special Education classes at the high school level.”
Mrs. Pruitt said, “I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to represent Buford City Schools as their Teacher of the Year, but being selected as one of the finalists for the 2022 Georgia Teacher of the Year is an incredible honor. Buford City Schools has given me the opportunity to do what I love, share a classroom with the greatest students, be influenced by teachers who are far more deserving of this honor than myself, and be encouraged by the administration that supports my program and the work we do. To say that I am lucky is an understatement.”
If she is announced the official winner on August 7, 2021, Mrs. Pruitt said, “To be named the 2022 Teacher of the Year for the State, I could not even fathom that at this time. I just want to make my students, my system, my state, and my family proud. I am going to keep working hard, loving others, and doing my best to support my students. That would be an honor that I would never expect and I am sharing the top ten spots with some incredible teachers who would wear that crown well. So much praise for the incredible work that educators have put in throughout the course of this school year.”
