By Bailey Carelock, GWCFC journalism
Teacher of the Year (TOTY) is a respected position that teachers are granted for going above and beyond in their jobs. Becoming Teacher of the Year is basically like a science, and for Physical Science teacher, Chrystal Vining, she has it down to a science. She was the George Washington Carver Freshman (GWCFC) 2011-2012 TOTY and was recently named the 2018-2019 TOTY for the Freshman Campus. Students and faculty clearly believe she is an amazing fit for this position, shown by her student, Andrea Garcia, who says that “she makes everything easy to understand. Her class is very rewarding, and I enjoy being taught by her.”
Ms. Vining has been teaching for fourteen years. She says that the reason she got into teaching was that of her own children, such as her son Nathan who attends GWCFC. She said that her favorite part of this year was having her son on the campus with her, and she is going to miss having him around when he moves up to the main campus. “It’s been really fun having him here with me,” she explained. Her favorite unit to teach in Physical Science is chemistry because she enjoys breaking down the periodic table. In addition to chemistry, she also enjoys biology. She has a degree in biology from Kennesaw State University and has worked various jobs involving biology in the past. It’s not atypical to see Biology classes in movies dissect frogs. Well, before becoming a teacher, Ms. Vining worked at a human tissue bank where she dissected human hearts for transplant! While she did enjoy these jobs, above all Ms. Vining has a passion and a love for teaching and her students and seeing them succeed.
Ms. Chrystal Vining is a very hard working teacher who is getting a well-deserved recognition for her efforts by being awarded the Teacher of the Year position for the second time. Congratulations to Ms. Vining on her accomplishments!