For the second consecutive year, an Atlanta Public Schools Teacher of the Year was selected as a finalist for Georgia Teacher of the Year. Tamika Nicole Ball, 2012-2013 D. M. Therrell High School of Health, Sciences and Research’s Teacher of the Year and 2012-2013 Atlanta Public Schools’ Teacher of the Year, was named one of 10 finalists for the 2014 Georgia’s statewide teacher of the year title. According to the announcement from State Superintendent, Dr. John Barge, the finalists were chosen based on the strength of their essay responses.
“I’m very proud of Ms. Ball,” said Mr. Erroll Davis, Superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools. “Her passion and commitment are representative of every excellent educator in our school district who positively impacts the lives of students each day in our classrooms.”
“This is an honor well deserved,” said Tamika’s current principal, Shelly H. Powell.
Within the next few weeks, Tamika will prepare for the next level of the competition which includes submitting a video tape of her classroom instruction and participating in various interviews. Each finalist will be invited to attend a luncheon in April. The winner will be announced at the Georgia Teacher of the Year Banquet on May 3, 2013.
Tamika, a ninth and tenth grade mathematics teacher, entered the classroom as an advocate for change, ensuring all students have access to a bright future similar to the vision her mother, a retired APS teacher, instilled in her. Her entry into teaching was merely a stepping stone, but it now serves as her life’s purpose.
Tamika, a Douglass High School graduate, received a Bachelor of Science Degree in accounting from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, where she graudated Suma Cum Laude, and a Master of Arts degree in teaching from Mercer University. She is currently pursuing a Ph. D. in Teaching and Learning, Mathematics from Georgia State University. Her first teaching experience began as a 2007 Teach for America (TFA) Corp member.
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