Episode 601: 2025 Georgia Teacher of the Year: You Matter

2025 Georgia Teacher of the Year Holly Witcher has 23 years in education. In our season 6 premiere, Witcher reflects on her journey as a special education teacher at Tesnatee Gap Elementary, her love for overcoming challenges, and the joy of celebrating student growth. Tune in for a heartwarming conversation with one of Georgia’s most beloved educators!

TRANSCRIPT

Ashley Mengwasser: Hear ye, hear ye. Gather round, educators, for Classroom Conversations, your source for teacher talk. Classroom Conversations is known throughout the land as the platform for Georgia's teachers. Whichever school crest you bear, you mustn't miss today's entertainment, sponsored by the Georgia Department of Education and Georgia Public Broadcasting. I'm Ashley Mengwasser and I'm here to serve your royal servant, if you will, because that's what you do in the presence of royalty: lower oneself. Each season, we bring you a teacher so revered and celebrated across the state they have a fan following, and why wouldn't today's guest? She's a 23-year career educator who has been named Teacher of the Year across two separate districts, Rockdale County and White County, and two separate decades, the 2000s and the 2020s. This year, she's ascended to her highly-recognized placement as the 2025 Georgia Teacher of the Year. Let the trumpets fanfare for a teacher from the north: Holly Witcher. Holly is a special education teacher at Tesnatee Gap Elementary School in White County School District. Holly's school sits perched in Cleveland, Georgia, near Helen. Royalty for Holly still means slipping a special circular accessory over her head, but it's not a crown. It's a lanyard. Royalty for Holly means her school is her castle. Royalty for Holly means sitting in very small chairs or even kneeling to connect with her much shorter K-2 students and abjuring the throne. But most impressively, royalty for Holly means connecting with each of you, Georgia's educators, with a rejuvenating message of inspiration which you'll soon hear. Let's welcome Georgia's Teacher of the Year, Holly Witcher. Hi, Holly.

Holly Witcher: Hi. What a beautiful welcome. Thank you so much.

Ashley Mengwasser: Thank you so much. We're going to definitely add the trumpets blowing in the post-production edit.

Holly Witcher: Absolutely.

Ashley Mengwasser: You've got to have that. Have you ever met a royal, Holly, like an actual one?

Holly Witcher: I do not think that I have ever met a royal.

Ashley Mengwasser: I don't think I have either, but I did have a giant crush on Prince William, and I fancied myself his wife. Kate who, honestly? But it's got to be exciting to be in the position you're in right now.

Holly Witcher: Oh, man.

Ashley Mengwasser: What can you tell us from the inside of the Teacher of the Year royal circle? Is there a secret handshake or an initiation ceremony?

Holly Witcher: Oh, my goodness gracious. It's so funny that you say that because the night that I was announced, my husband said, "It's a little bit like a secret society."

Ashley Mengwasser: It is.

Holly Witcher: It's kind of crazy. It's really, really cool and it's interesting because there's not a lot of people that have done this, and so trying to maneuver through things, I'm so thankful for all of the ones that have come before ...

Ashley Mengwasser: Yes.

Holly Witcher: Who can kind of guide me and say, "These are things that you can be expecting," because it is, it's a whole different ... I mean, I teach kindergarten through second grade so now I'm speaking with adults and it's just a whole different world.

Ashley Mengwasser: Different audience, right?

Holly Witcher: Very, very different. Yes.

Ashley Mengwasser: It strikes me that there should at least be a Teacher of the Year choir, no?

Holly Witcher: Oh, I would get with that.

Ashley Mengwasser: I think you guys could travel the state.

Holly Witcher: I could get with that. I do love to sing

Ashley Mengwasser: A suggestion you can make this year. I did see a picture of I guess I can call it your coronation. It's pretty iconic. And I hope your audience listening today will go and find it and get the same chills that I got, but let me set the stage of this picture and then I want you to look at it. You're up on the dais. You're with State School Superintendent Richard Woods. He's handing you this beautiful, glass award. What do they call that? Is there a name for it?

Holly Witcher: A glass award.

Ashley Mengwasser: Glass award. Your name and the fact that you're the 2025 Teacher of the Year is etched and blazoned on the front there. You're wearing a beautiful, dare I say, royal green color dress. And what else is happening? I want to show you this picture and see if you remember this moment, what's happening in that picture.

Holly Witcher: Yes. And right before when they had just named me, I was sitting beside Jenny Cofield, another one of the finalists, and I was going, "Is this real? Is this real? Is this real?" and she was like, "You've got this," but it's so overwhelming. It's so hard to describe that feeling and that moment. There's just not words. There are not words.

Ashley Mengwasser: This picture gives me goosebumps because you're crying tears of joy, but there's the biggest smile on your face and it is just so beautiful to look at.

Holly Witcher: Such an honor.

Ashley Mengwasser: I know, and I'm so excited to sit here with you. Seeing your smile makes me cry and I hope our teachers will go look at it. I can just feel the zeal you have for your role. And your fans have a lot to say about you. I did a deep dive on the Facebook comments when you made your announcement and I just want to tell our audience a little bit about what they're saying out here. Tell me if any of this resonates. "Georgia needs more educators like Holly Witcher. I could go on about the amazing work she accomplished with my son."

Holly Witcher: Oh.

Ashley Mengwasser: One commenter said, "I have admired your heart for kids from day one since meeting you." Another one, "It is an honor to say that I taught with you in Rockdale County," so probably a fellow teacher. And I love this one, "Proud to have a phenomenal special educator as the Georgia Teacher of the Year." Isn't that nice?

Holly Witcher: It is. It's so overwhelming. I mean, you do what you do ...

Ashley Mengwasser: Correct.

Holly Witcher: And you just get out there and you do it every day and you don't ever expect to receive any recognition for it because you're not in it for the recognition.

Ashley Mengwasser: That's right.

Holly Witcher: And then to be able to read those words, I mean, it's amazing.

Ashley Mengwasser: It just goes to show that you're in alignment and that this is the path you were meant to be on.

Holly Witcher: Amen.

Ashley Mengwasser: Let's take them back to the beginning though. We have to start at why you became a teacher. That seed was planted at a young age. Tell us.

Holly Witcher: Yeah. I don't have anybody in my family that ever taught. I just kind of always knew that I wanted to teach. I love working with students. My sisters would tell you I was very bossy. So I just grew up wanting to teach and anybody who was around me would say, "This is where your pathway is," so I don't ever remember making a cognizant decision like, "I think that I'm going to teach." It's just kind of something I always wanted to do. So I had some phenomenal educators who taught me and I kind of wanted to do the same thing, and they followed me throughout my years in high school and in college and still to this day. In my first year teaching, I was teaching alongside of the same teachers who taught me, and so there's just nothing like that.

Ashley Mengwasser: Wow. So your elementary educators really inspired you.

Holly Witcher: Oh, for sure. For sure.

Ashley Mengwasser: And you are in an elementary school. What have you taught most recently at Tesnatee Gap?

Holly Witcher: So, I have most recently been teaching special education kindergarten through second grade. I teach a self-contained special education class and love it. I have the best job in the world. Nobody could tell me any different and convince me any differently.

Ashley Mengwasser: What do you love about it? Why is it the best job?

Holly Witcher: Watching these students who come in who might have delays or difficulties and watching them overcome those barriers, it's so awe-inspiring. When I was moved into this position, because it's not where I started, I told my principal. I said, "I will do this for six months and get you through the remainder of the year, but this is not where my heart is." And I spent one month in there and said, "This is it. This is where I have been called to be." But it's just watching them, knowing that they have difficulties and having that ability to find ways to help support them. It's just a very fulfilling job. It's a very hard job.

Ashley Mengwasser: Yes.

Holly Witcher: But you come away knowing that you are making a difference in the lives of those students and that you're making a difference in the lives of those families. They're really cool kids.

Ashley Mengwasser: You say all the time, "In my class, we dream big, and we celebrate big."

Holly Witcher: Yes, we do.

Ashley Mengwasser: How?

Holly Witcher: Oh, man. So the cool thing is they all know what one another's strengths and weaknesses are. And so when somebody overcomes something, it's just the neatest thing to watch. We'll be sitting at the carpet and I remember a student a few years ago who was struggling to identify the numbers. You would show him a number and he couldn't tell you what it was, and we'd been working on it for probably a year, a year and a half. And one day, I pointed it out and he said it and all the kids went, "You did it. You did it," and I'm like, "Where did that come from?" And so they all know one another's strengths and weaknesses. It's a true family. So when somebody meets a goal or something that they've been trying to achieve, they all celebrate together. And so it is truly just a big family, all the things together. Yeah.

Ashley Mengwasser: Well, you are making instruction a physical experience, an emotional experience when you're doing that celebrating and that strikes me as something that could happen in every classroom.

Holly Witcher: Oh, absolutely.

Ashley Mengwasser: So just the whole part about, "My students know one another's strengths and weaknesses." O=ooh, we could dive deep into that.

Holly Witcher: Yep, yep, yep.

Ashley Mengwasser: But you did say it's also a hard job. Thank goodness you have your really intense hobby, mountain biking.

Holly Witcher: Yes.

Ashley Mengwasser: Okay, explain this to me.

Holly Witcher: Oh, I love it. So my boys got into mountain biking when we moved to White County years ago. We moved up there so that they would have time to run around. I wanted my boys to be able to be boys and be in the woods. And they had some friends who got them into mountain biking and they were at practice three nights a week, two and a half hours a night, and I thought, "Well, I'm here with them. I might as well train with them and do with them as well." And I thought this will be really easy to do, right? So, I got back on my bike that I had not been on since probably 2002, 2003 and found out. Oh my gracious. I mean, it was killing me. I thought, "I'm going to lose." I just felt like I was going to pass out. But I went through the training program and we have a great association that we work with, the Georgia Cycling Association, and they have coaches training and all sorts of things to teach us what to do, so I was trained and I became a coach. And so now while my boys are out on their bikes, I'm out there with them as well coaching.

Ashley Mengwasser: And your husband's a coach too.

Holly Witcher: He is too, yes.

Ashley Mengwasser: So, this is a family affair.

Holly Witcher: It is. Absolutely. The whole event is a family affair. It's great.

Ashley Mengwasser: The last time I was on a bike, I think I was on it for maybe 15 minutes, and you said, "I'll come home, and I'll pound it out for two hours."

Holly Witcher: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Ashley Mengwasser: Is that pretty standard, you spend two hours on your bike?

Holly Witcher: Very much, absolutely. And it is. You have a hard day and sometimes you just are so frustrated, but there's something about being out there on the trail that just really clears your mind. And again, now I'm having conversations with youth, with teenagers. I have finally gotten to the point that I can actually talk while I'm writing. It took a little while. But while they're writing and we're having those really good conversations about what's going on in their lives, it just reminds you that there's some good in the world when you hear the things that they're talking about. But yeah, typically two, two and a half hours, three nights a week.

Ashley Mengwasser: And what is the terrain out there? Because you live in the mountains.

Holly Witcher: It's mountainous.

Ashley Mengwasser: Wow.

Holly Witcher: Very route-y. We have races that are in North Georgia, but they also go down to Milledgeville. We have teams that are coming from Savannah.

Ashley Mengwasser: Wow.

Holly Witcher: So, it just depends on the terrain. There's some very sandy terrain, but typically we train on some pretty intense stuff. But that's the cool thing is that you learn, you get out there, and you think, "I can't do this," and maybe you can't the first time. But then your goal is, "Okay, I'm going to make it a little bit farther the next time," or, "I'm going to make it a little bit faster." So it's very easy to set goals and to meet those goals personally and to watch the students do it, and to be able to celebrate with them when they accomplish something that maybe they couldn't do before.

Ashley Mengwasser: I am seeing so many parallels between your trail work and your teacher work.

Holly Witcher: Yep.

Ashley Mengwasser: And one of the things you also said about being on the trail as a coach was, "We're developing good people and using the bike to do it."

Holly Witcher: That's right.

Ashley Mengwasser: What skills or growth are you seeing in these students?

Holly Witcher: Watching them have to overcome adversity. If you see a student, one of the coolest things at our races, they may get out there and something may happen, a chain may break. Watching them run across the finish line with their bike over their shoulders or running with their bike alongside and they didn't quit out there, that's huge. Just teaching those problem solving skills, teaching them how to make responsible decisions. Sometimes, it's really hard if my children are sick and they want to be out there on the trail, but to say, "Hey, if you injured yourself worse or if you get more sick than you are now, then what's that going to do to you long-term?" So it's teaching them how to make grown-up decisions and preparing them for the types of things that they're going to need to do after they leave my house.

Ashley Mengwasser: Right. And there's physical development happening, but there's also a lot of mental game in this with the psyche. You said it's about endurance and some other skills that you've learned, and you've got to focus on your balance and your speed. And so you're thinking of five or six different factors at a time, which also is very similar to teachers.

Holly Witcher: Oh, absolutely.

Ashley Mengwasser: So, tell me what's going on in your head mentally when you're out on that mountain bike. What are you thinking?

Holly Witcher: Don't fall. But really truly, you're thinking through, "What is it that you want to accomplish?" We had a practice this past week. Our trails have been a little bit devastated with the hurricane that came through, and so we aren't on our regular trail. So we are currently practicing on this gravel hill and we were doing hill repeats. And so I am literally you go up five minutes and then you ride back and you go up five minutes, and just developing strength there. So while I'm in the midst of that, I'm thinking, "Okay, I just need to make it to the next tree. I need to make it to the following tree," and thinking through, "How am I going to make it so that I can get to the top?" And then on the way down, you're thinking, "Okay, I did that. I can do this again. Can I do this again?" So it's just a lot of assessing. It's constantly assessing where you're at and also just making sure you are in a good place because you need to know, "Do I need to stop and take a break? Do I need to breathe? Do I need to get a sip of water?" So it's a very mental game.

Ashley Mengwasser: Yes.

Holly Witcher: So, it's very physical, but there's a lot of mental that goes into it as well.

Ashley Mengwasser: And like driving a car, there are certain practical checks you have. You have to check your bike before you go out, you said.

Holly Witcher: Yes, yes.

Ashley Mengwasser: That's a big thing. Any pointers to just us average bikers out on the road? What can we do to improve our bike rides?

Holly Witcher: We always talk about before the kids go out, they have to do their ABCDEs, which is check their air and check their brakes and their chain, their derailleurs. That's the big thing is just checking to make sure everything is in working order because there's nothing more frustrating than getting out there and realizing, "I've made this more difficult than it needs to be just because I didn't do a simple check and making sure everything is in order." But I also would say go out with a friend. Don't go out by yourself because ...

Ashley Mengwasser: That's a really good point.

Holly Witcher: Yeah. On some of the days that I have the most difficulty, if I've got somebody else that's talking to me and it's got my mind off of the hard work that I'm doing, I'll turn around and be like, "Wow, how did we make it that far?" So I think that is great is just to go out with a partner and somebody that can encourage you along to get you there.

Ashley Mengwasser: To get you there. And let's look at your story, your arc not just on the trail, but in education. You started your career with the early childhood years. You've also taught gifted/advanced classes, but you say that special education was just not on your radar. Who put it there? Tell us that story.

Holly Witcher: Like you said, when I started, I thought, "I'm going to teach children how to read." That was my goal is I wanted to teach kids to read, but I had some phenomenal administrators who saw capacity in me where I didn't. And it actually ended up in a situation where I was going to need to teach part-time for a little while. I had a new baby at home. I wanted to still teach, but I also wanted to spend some time with him. And so when I went to my administrators and said, "Hey, do you have anything that's part-time? I don't want to stop doing this because I love it," they said, "You should teach special education. And I said, "I'm not certified to teach special education and I'm not sure that I should." And then they reminded me I'd had many students come through my class who were in special education. I had been teaching them all along. I may not have been writing the IEPs for them, but I had been collaborating with their teachers. And so they challenged me to go get my certification and I did. It's just one thing that led to another that led to another. It just opened up doors that I never saw coming at all.

Ashley Mengwasser: Wow.

Holly Witcher: So, I'm so thankful to have administrators who can see something in you and go, "You know what? You would make a really good person in this area." Because oftentimes, as teachers, you're in your little silo and you don't see outside of that silo to know that there's capacity for you to do something else.

Ashley Mengwasser: Right, but somebody else might have a broader perspective.

Holly Witcher: Absolutely.

Ashley Mengwasser: So, trust their judgment on that.

Holly Witcher: Yeah.

Ashley Mengwasser: Talk to us about Georgia Cyber Academy, which dovetails with your special education journey, and tell us about the four students in 2009 who changed everything for you.

Holly Witcher: Oh, yes. So when I started at Georgia Cyber, that's when I actually had my first job as an official special education teacher.

Ashley Mengwasser: Wow.

Holly Witcher: So, I had taught the special education students in the past in my own classroom, but I opened up the door and they said, "You have 26 students." They had a very wide variety of needs. And at the school that I was coming from, primarily I was working with students with significant developmental delays. I wasn't working with students with vision impairments and other health impairments. That's not the way it had worked for me. So when I started at GCA, the first week I spent meeting my families and speaking to them on the phone because they're all over the state of Georgia, so I would call and get to know them. And at the end of a week, I realized I had four students in my class who had been diagnosed with dyslexia and I knew absolutely nothing about dyslexia. And their parents were very adamant like, "What are you going to do to help my child learn?" and I thought, "I have no idea."

Ashley Mengwasser: "I don't know."

Holly Witcher: Right? Now this is before all the dyslexia legislation. It was almost even an uncommon term at the time. So I reached out, because we had teachers all over the state of Georgia, and I said, "Can anybody give me resources? What do you know?" and there was very, very little that was known. So myself and another colleague got involved and went to a website, found some more information, and found a seminar that we could go to learn more, which led to learning about different curriculums. And it just opened up the door for me to learn how I can teach children whose brains are wired differently than I had ever done before. So it was just a whole new world and it just exposed me to something that I had not done before.

Ashley Mengwasser: Yeah. Children whose brains are wired differently. Isn't that the perfect, simple way to put it?

Holly Witcher: Oh, so much so.

Ashley Mengwasser: And if you come to it with just that acceptance and that approach, you really tailor instruction, which I know is important to educators.

Holly Witcher: Absolutely.

Ashley Mengwasser: Help us understand some of the nuances in terminology for special education students. You mentioned delays, but then there's disabilities. What's the difference?

Holly Witcher: So, a delay typically is something that is just ... Well, it's just delayed. It's something that you can learn and with time, it will resolve itself. And a disability, often, it's lifelong. There is not necessarily a fix to it. You have to learn how to accommodate. And so especially at the younger age, most of the students that I teach are initially diagnosed with a significant developmental delay because when they're that young, you don't necessarily know, "Is this just a delay or is it truly a disability?"

Ashley Mengwasser: I see.

Holly Witcher: And so, it's really getting to the meat of figuring out, "How are we going to support this student?" And some of the students that I work with over time are able to go and move and function in a general education classroom as though they had never been delayed, and then other students need more additional support. So it's just kind of figuring out the differences between, "Do they need time or do they need supports, or both? A combination of both."

Ashley Mengwasser: Right. And there might be evidence at that young age, but the fuller picture might emerge over time, you're saying.

Holly Witcher: Yes. Yes, yes.

Ashley Mengwasser: And you taught a self-contained class. What's the alternative and what's it like having those students with you all day?

Holly Witcher: Oh, I love them. Oh, they're so good. So you have your self-contained and typically with a self-contained class, these are students that have global delays. It's not just a math or just a reading, but they have delays that are in all areas. So they need support in all areas, which is why they traditionally stay with me. And a lot of times too, they will have different adaptive delays. They may need help with common, daily tasks. Other students may have delays just in math and they may just need a co-talk class or a pull-out class where they get a little extra support in math. Like I said, with time, it can all switch depending on the types of accommodations that they have.

Ashley Mengwasser: Right.

Holly Witcher: But they do typically stay with me all day long and it's beautiful. But we do try. We want to make sure that they are exposed to other general education students and we also want to make sure general education students are exposed to them.

Ashley Mengwasser: To them. Yes.

Holly Witcher: Absolutely, so we do whatever we can to partner with the other classrooms so that they can begin to develop those relationships. So they may be with me all day long, but we do a lot of work together to make sure that that is jiving the way that it should.

Ashley Mengwasser: Right. And you're the expert, so what do you feel is the ideal positioning for special education students in Georgia's schools? I'm thinking of ways that schools might better capture their special education students in school traditions, in school culture, be more inclusive.

Holly Witcher: Absolutely.

Ashley Mengwasser: What ideas do you have?

Holly Witcher: I think it's just it can't be an afterthought.

Ashley Mengwasser: Yes.

Holly Witcher: And so, anytime I've worked with administrators that truly have had a lot of experience, they understand. There's so many complicated things that go into the different students and every year I have a different group and they have different needs. And so just being cognizant that when there's a change in schedule or when, then, there is maybe some type of assembly that's coming up, when they come and ask me first, "What do your students need so that they can be completely able to access what's going on?" that is huge. When there's changes in schedule, a lot of times my students really struggle if it's not the same.

Ashley Mengwasser: Their structure.

Holly Witcher: Yes. So if we are aware ahead of time and I can go ahead and be preparing them for a couple of days, then they're able to go into those assemblies or whatever the case may be and seem like every other child that's out there. But if they don't have that, then it can be very upsetting to them and it can be disruptive to the other students as well. So I think just positioning and knowing special education, there's just so many nuances. And even if you're an administrator who has taught special education before, because every class is different or every child is different, there may be things that you're not considering. But that special education teacher knows the situations of those students. And so just being willing to say, "Hey. What do we need to do in this situation?" really sets them up for success, and then the other students see that they're able to do what everyone else is able to do too.

Ashley Mengwasser: Which is what we want them at school for ...

Holly Witcher: Absolutely.

Ashley Mengwasser: To have that social experience in addition to the learning.

Holly Witcher: Yes.

Ashley Mengwasser: What is special to you about your special education students? You mentioned that your work together with these individuals is just beautiful.

Holly Witcher: It is. They are the coolest kids. And I mentioned before, they're wired differently oftentimes so they see things differently than I would. And we have the funniest conversation sometimes, but we laugh all day long. The teacher that took over for me this year, she texted me recently and she said, "You have the best class." She said, "We have so much fun. We laugh all day," and I'm like, "We do." But they see things differently and they will point them out or bring them up and it's just a lot of fun. And like I said, we have many opportunities to celebrate. So it's just digging into what makes each child unique and being able to celebrate those things. You just never know what they're going to do, what they're going to say. It's a lot of fun.

Ashley Mengwasser: Your four students in 2009 who were dyslexic and your students today, you think of each one of them when you told me that you have had to become proficient in federal law.

Holly Witcher: Yes.

Ashley Mengwasser: Why is that so important in the role that you're in?

Holly Witcher: You need to know the law. Obviously, we want to do what's best for our students and being proficient in an area allows you to know what accommodations are out there, what supports could be provided for these students. And we want to make sure that the children are protected and that they receive all the rights that they have. So it is just learning out there, "Hey, these are mistakes that other counties or other schools have made. This is how you can learn from it so that you don't make the same mistakes, so that these children can have the opportunities that they deserve."

Ashley Mengwasser: Right, looking at all the information. And it feels divine, speaking of legislation, but Georgia Senate Bill 48 goes into effect during the school year 2024-2025, the same year as your reign, Holly.

Holly Witcher: Yes.

Ashley Mengwasser: And this is a bill that provides for the identification of and support for students in pre-K through second grade with dyslexia.

Holly Witcher: I know.

Ashley Mengwasser: These are your students. And when they say implementation and support and identification, what are we really talking about?

Holly Witcher: So, there are a lot of screeners ...

Ashley Mengwasser: Screeners.

Holly Witcher: That have been identified that the students will be given to determine, "Is this a child who has indicators of possible dyslexia?" Because it's known that if you can address those early on and provide explicit instruction, they can overcome that reading gap. You do not want to get them to a situation where they're in third grade and we're just now figuring out, "Wow, that's a lot of catch up to do." So now this law allows us to start implementing earlier on, and they've also done a lot of research to determine, "What programs are good for this? What could we be using?" So systems across the state now have the tools. They know what they're looking for and they have the tools to implement. So they're not in the position that I was where I'm going, "I don't know how to teach this child." Yes.

Ashley Mengwasser: That's good if we can avoid that for other teachers. Well, in the position you are in now as Teacher of the Year, are you hearing any feedback about how this is going? Have the students taken any screening tests yet?

Holly Witcher: They've done their first round of screening, and some counties started it last year. They piloted. There were several pilots.

Ashley Mengwasser: Okay.

Holly Witcher: The counties that did the pilot systems had very, very good feedback. The implementation of it is going well. The biggest challenge right now has been time because these are screeners that you have to do them independently. It's not like you can just give the screener to the entire class.

Ashley Mengwasser: Oh. I see.

Holly Witcher: So, the biggest challenge has been finding the time to do 10 minutes per child, per screen. It's a lot. So that is really what this year and past years have been is trying to figure out, "Okay, what counties are doing this well? How are you getting through this?" and getting that information out there. But I do know they have said, I don't know the numbers, there have been a lot of students that already have been identified as, "Hey, this child is at risk for possible dyslexia. We're going to do a little bit more digging and see how we can support them." And that is exciting just to know that they're going to have their needs met before it becomes a prolonged problem.

Ashley Mengwasser: Before it becomes a problem, yeah. It's a game changer for their entire learning experience.

Holly Witcher: For sure.

Ashley Mengwasser: We’ve talked a lot about the mark that you've left on your students and the way that you've worked with them, and I want to dive into teachers now and what you're offering teachers as part of your platform. And it's incredible, I think, and it's very simple. Your driving message to teachers is two short words. What are they and what does this mean to you?

Holly Witcher: "You matter." And it really came back in March of 2023. Our district said, "You need to come up with a platform that you would use if you were the Georgia Teacher of the Year," and I made a list of things that I'm passionate about. Obviously, I can talk about things all day long. There's so many things that I love and I was just overwhelmed looking at the list and thinking, "Okay, what would add value to teachers? All teachers, not just people that teach elementary school."

Ashley Mengwasser: Yes.

Holly Witcher: And so, as I started looking at my list of things that I was passionate about, it was things that had been given to me by someone else. Somebody else had left a mark of some sort, like literacy. My mom is an avid reader. She took us to the library so many times. So there's different people that had left a mark in my life and I just realized so many people have made an influence in who I am. They mattered to me. And then it brought back in 2006, when I was in my fifth year of teaching, I almost left. I didn't think that I could continue.

Ashley Mengwasser: Wow.

Holly Witcher: There was just a lot that was going on. And I had an administrator who looked at me and said, "Hey, you matter." I was overwhelmed with all of the changes that were happening and she was like, "Forget this and forget that, but you as a teacher matter and we need you here." And so it all just kind started morphing together and that's the message that I want to share with teachers. But I have to be very careful. It can't be something glib. I mean, you can't just say the words, "Hey, you matter."

Ashley Mengwasser: Right.

Holly Witcher: It can almost be offensive if somebody is struggling with, "Do I stay or do I go?" when you're like, "Hey, you're making a difference." So it's really digging in and finding out what can we do to show educators that they are valued and that they are professionals and that we're treating them that way? I'm doing a lot of research to figure out how can we help support because we are losing phenomenal educators every day and it just breaks my heart. So that's a lot of what it is is saying, "Yes, you matter, and here's how we can show that you matter."

Ashley Mengwasser: Yes. I love that. We need to show teachers that they do matter. We make that a big point on our podcast here. But also, how can educators use this phrase for themselves? How can "You matter" change their whole day and the way that they approach their classroom? Maybe it's written in front of them. Maybe it's a personal mantra that they chant to themselves. How do you envision teachers can use this for themselves?

Holly Witcher: It is a little bit of the mantra that you have to say to yourselves. I have a file folder of anytime somebody has left me a positive note that I keep on days that are really hard that I can pull out and see, because it's hard to remember when you're in the midst of a mess that what you're doing does make a difference. And so I have a folder and I'll pull it out and I'll read back over the notes that parents or administrators or coworkers. But I think also being cognizant of the people that you're around because it's all about community. And so if I notice that the teacher in the room beside me is not taking a lunch anymore or her habits have changed, then I can say, "Are you doing okay?" because that's what it is.

Ashley Mengwasser: Yeah.

Holly Witcher: It's knowing that you're valued as a human being. It's not just something that I'm going to say to you, but, "Hey, I'm recognizing that your patterns are different here. Are you okay and how can I help?" So that's a part of it is just being aware and knowing your coworkers well enough to know when there's been a change so that you can then ... You don't have to say, "You matter," but sometimes it's just the little things like, "Hey, I've got your class. Go take a lunch." I've gathered lots of stories from educators over the last two months where they have shared something that an administrator or something that a coworker has done that has shown them the value that they have. And that's kind of my challenge is how can you show another coworker their value? Because I mean, golly, I rely tremendously on my coworkers. And you think sometimes that you're telling them, "Hey, I appreciate you," but the reality is we get busy and we forget, or you're like, "I'm going to write them a note," and you just don't. So what little things can we do that show them that, "Hey, I'm glad you were here and I want you to stay and what can I do to work with you?"

Ashley Mengwasser: Right. So it seems for you that part of the project here is the awareness of realizing the value educators have, that they do matter, and then part B of that is showing it, acting on it.

Holly Witcher: Absolutely.

Ashley Mengwasser: What are your goals as Teacher of the Year, Holly? Anything you really want to accomplish or any impression you want to leave on educators as you travel the state?

Holly Witcher: I just want teachers to know that they're valued.

Ashley Mengwasser: Yes.

Holly Witcher: I've talked with Christy Todd a little bit about the work of being able to listen to other teachers and hear what their concerns are and then being able to make those connections with the right people. And so that's one of the things that's been very exciting to me is just being able to experience. There's a lot that goes on that I didn't realize went on as a classroom teacher.

Ashley Mengwasser: Right?

Holly Witcher: And being exposed to some of those things, I'm like, "This is fantastic. Does everybody know that this exists?" So I'm excited, when I go speak somewhere and somebody mentions something, to be able to make those connections for them and say, "Hey. Did you know that this exists at Georgia Tech?" or, "Were you aware that this college offers this program?" So I really want to get out there as much as I can and experience as much of Georgia as I can in all the different districts and hear and listen, and then be able to start to make some of those connections. I think that's what I'm most excited about.

Ashley Mengwasser: Yes. And being able to, as we do here, broadcast that information to teachers.

Holly Witcher: Absolutely.

Ashley Mengwasser: Is there an upcoming function you're really looking forward to that the Teacher of the Year gets to do?

Holly Witcher: Oh, there's so many really cool functions. I'll tell you about one that I just finished because it's just so, so much with me. The State Board of Education Retreat.

Ashley Mengwasser: Oh.

Holly Witcher: I just got back from that, and I left so very encouraged, and so that's the thing. I don't even know what I'm looking forward to yet because it's all so new. I went into that going, "This is going to be pretty neat," but I left and I thought, "Wow, this is amazing." We had legislators that were there, we had the Board of Education that was there, we had the Department of Education, and we were having real talks about, "These are the real things that are happening," and everybody had a voice. And that was so exciting to me because if an issue was raised or mentioned, then somebody else would speak up and say, "How can I handle that?" So it's cool. I didn't go into that thinking that that's what that was going to be like, so it's hard for me to say, "Hey, I'm looking forward to this that's coming up," because I don't even know what I don't know and it's just the kind of thing ...

Ashley Mengwasser: You're along for the ride.

Holly Witcher: Yes, absolutely. So I say yes to as many things as I can because I don't want to miss something that could be a potentially life-changing thing for me.

Ashley Mengwasser: Exactly.

Holly Witcher: Yeah.

Ashley Mengwasser: We're palpable change. You were in a room where that's where that kind of change begins.

Holly Witcher: Absolutely.

Ashley Mengwasser: It's happening organically there. Did you take your mountain bike to the retreat?

Holly Witcher: I did not.

Ashley Mengwasser: Oh, that's too bad.

Holly Witcher: It was only 45 minutes away. I did come home and immediately I got on my bike and we rode that night.

Ashley Mengwasser: You got that in.

Holly Witcher: That's right.

Ashley Mengwasser: Well, let's leave our educator audience with any techniques or revelations from your experience, specifically as a special education teacher working with special ed students that might impact teachers of any discipline.

Holly Witcher: I would just say if there's something that you don't know, dig in. You have to be a lifelong learner. There are so many things with students, giving them time. But if you ever encounter a student and you're not sure, going to conferences or doing webcasts or whatever just to learn more about what that is is just so huge. But specific techniques, really, it's just offering opportunities for conversation. A lot of times, students have forgotten they really don't know how to communicate. But then once we can get them communicating and asking them, "How would you best learn this? What do you need?" and having those conversations with them, a lot of times just asking them will open up your eyes to a whole different world.

Ashley Mengwasser: Yeah. That's a really good tip that will, as you say on your mountain bike, help your teachers get to the next tree.

Holly Witcher: Yeah.

Ashley Mengwasser: Just get to the next tree and keep going.

Holly Witcher: That should be my hashtag, #GetToTheNextTree.

Ashley Mengwasser: #GetToTheNextTree, I like it.

Holly Witcher: One more step.

Ashley Mengwasser: And you wear green. You wear green so much so it's perfect.

Holly Witcher: That's right.

Ashley Mengwasser: Well, thank you for being here, Holly. You're going to leave a lasting educational imprint on Georgia's teachers and I hope you're already feeling it.

Holly Witcher: Oh, it's so exciting. So exciting.

Ashley Mengwasser: I'll let you get back to your official or, dare I say, royal duties.

Holly Witcher: Oh my goodness gracious.

Ashley Mengwasser: Where do you go from here?

Holly Witcher: Let's see. I will actually be, next week, in St. Simons, going to speak to a teacher conference and I'm speaking to the Department of Education, the CTAE Program, next week so very exciting. October, when we're recording this, is a super busy month so I'm excited to kind of get out and start seeing some of the different things that are happening.

Ashley Mengwasser: Enjoy St. Simons and keep up with those Facebook posts so we can all follow what you're doing.

Holly Witcher: Yes, absolutely.

Ashley Mengwasser: In the words of one Facebook commenter, we have to send you off with this message, which was, "I can't wait to see all the amazing things you're going to do."

Holly Witcher: That's right.

Ashley Mengwasser: Have a great year, Holly. Thanks for being here.

Holly Witcher: Thank you so much.

Ashley Mengwasser: Well, teachers, you've heard it from our 2025 Georgia Teacher of the Year. In two words, you matter. Write Holly's affirmation down. Look at it daily and remind others of it. And I've got a four-word reminder for you. We use it here often. You're a great teacher. Don't forget it. I'm Ashley, your servant host, and I'll return next week with more Classroom Conversations. Goodbye for now.