Simmons is the only Georgia teacher to receive the award and one of only 15 winners nationwide. The Brookwood High teacher earned the honor after she was named the 2017 Georgia Council of Teachers of English (GCTE) High School Teacher of the Year last spring.
Principal Bo Ford was excited about his teacher’s recognition, sharing an example of how Dr. Simmons engages students. He said, “Dr. Simmons is a very special educator and it is wonderful that those at the state and national level have recognized her. As an educator she has a true impact on students, their families, and our community. While she works very hard at building a relationship with her students through the study of literature and language, she works equally as hard at having students build stronger relationships with their families and/or other adults who care about them. One way she does this is through the use of family dialogue journals.”
Simmons will be presented with the award at the NCTE conference November 18-20 in St Louis, MO.
