The Jones County School System 2024-25 Teacher of the Year is Charm Mapp from Clifton Ridge Middle School.
Mapp was announced as Teacher of the Year by Superintendent Charles Lundy during the annual award ceremony April 3. This event recognizes eight outstanding educators from each school in the district, all of whom have previously been awarded Teacher of the Year at their respective schools. Friends, family, colleagues, and administrators gathered to celebrate these exceptional educators.
A panel of judges selects one of the eight recipients to represent the entire district, and the choice is revealed during the ceremony.
Mapp is the lead teacher of the gifted program at CRMS and teaches eighth-grade math and enhanced algebra. She has 12 years of experience as an educator, all of which have been at Clifton Ridge Middle School. This is her fourth year teaching eighth grade. She previously taught sixth grade for two years and seventh grade for 16 years.
She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in middle grades education, as well as a specialist degree in curriculum and instruction, from Georgia College & State University, where she is currently pursuing her doctorate in curriculum and instruction.
Mapp shared her reasons for choosing to be a teacher.
“I decided to pursue a career in education when I was a little girl playing school with my stuffed animals. I always found school relatively fun and easy for me, and I wanted to share that excitement for learning with others,” she said.
She went on to specify why she chose to focus on middle-grades math education.
“Math has always been my favorite subject, with reading and writing being a close second,” Mapp said. “That is why I incorporate reading and stories in my math classes. Initially, I was set on teaching high school math, but after spending two years working in the education department at the Augusta YDC, I fell in love with middle school-age students.”
She discussed the most rewarding aspect of being an educator at Clifton Ridge Middle School.
“I love the ‘light bulb moment’ when students who hate or fear math finally see results and grow from their hard work. It truly warms my heart,” she said.
In addition to her middle school teaching role, she serves as a professor at Georgia College & State University, where she teaches a pre-education course titled “Exploring Teaching and Learning.”
“It has been an absolute honor to pour back into the institution that poured so much into me. The course I teach is so fitting to leave my day job of teaching and learning to share with future educators about the same concept,” Mapp said.
She mentioned that she has had the privilege of teaching alumni from Jones County in a college setting, and several of her students have completed their student teaching and gone on to become new teachers in Jones County.
“These full-circle moments make the sacrifice of time absolutely worth it,” she said.
Mapp is deeply committed to her professional development as an educator.
“To continue to grow, I am of the mindset that if I am done learning, it’s time to stop teaching. I look for opportunities to try new things to expand and enhance my teaching practices,” she said.
Mapp has actively pursued professional development opportunities. She has spoken at meetings for the Collegiate Middle-Level Association at Georgia College & State University and conducted professional learning sessions for gifted education teachers at Clifton Ridge Middle School.
She has led sessions for the entire faculty and specific grade levels on topics like student conferencing and goal setting. She also recently presented at the Texas Conference for Gifted and Talented, where she shared with more than 50 educators how to challenge gifted students to think critically and creatively.
“In November, I served as a facilitator for a Georgia Professional Standards Commission roundtable discussion regarding teacher recruitment,” Mapp said. “This work continued in April as I served on the keynote panel and as a work session facilitator during the GaPSC Teacher Pipeline Summit.”
Mapp said she is deeply passionate about helping her students embrace the love of learning.
“When I am leading professional learning with teachers, I keep in the forefront of my mind that we are not one-sizefits- all. Each teacher comes to the process with unique strengths, weaknesses, experiences, and perspectives. My goal is to try to assess where each teacher is on their journey and support them in growing from where they are,” she said.
The teacher shared that the best advice she received, leading her to where she is today, did not come in the form of words but in actions.
“My three favorite teachers — Mrs. Hunt, my band teacher; Ms. Jenkins, my eighth-grade English teacher; and Mrs. Stripling, my Introduction to Teaching instructor — taught me that the most important thing to show my students is not just content but care,” she said.
Mapp shows students how much she cares for them as people, saying it is more important than any mathematical skills she could teach.
“When I completed my student teaching with Mrs. Sutton in Baldwin County, she taught me that how I interact with my students goes a long way in building and maintaining rapport,” she said.
Mapp provided her advice for future educators.
“Remember that you are planting seeds in your students’ future. You may never see the results of the seeds you have sown but always be aware that they will remember you. What do you want them to remember about you and your class? Keep that in the forefront of your mind. Especially on the tough days,” she said.
She also shared what she wants students to take away from her class.
“The message that I hope my students carry with them beyond my classroom is that first, they, along with their thoughts and feelings, matter. Secondly, learning is a lifelong journey they should fully embrace,” she said.
Mapp is married to husband James, and they have four children — Marissa, Trinity, Ora and Daniel — two of whom are students in Jones County. Mapp says she enjoys napping, watching crime shows and cheering on the Pittsburgh Steelers during football games when she is not in the classroom.
She thanks her family, peers and bosses for the position she is in today as District Teacher of the Year.
“I thank those who were inspirational in my journey of becoming an educator. Firstly, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I thank my parents, husband and children. I thank my partner teacher from my time in the cohort, Mrs. Gussie Sutton, and the six principals I have had during my time at Clifton Ridge,” she said.
Mapp spoke about what she hopes lies ahead for the future of education.
“I hope that we continue our efforts to see and educate the whole child and see ourselves as teachers of children and not content,” she said. “I hope we take off our lenses of comfort and truly see our students for who they are and their potential and do the work to meet their individual needs. That means responding to them mentally, emotionally, socially, cognitively and culturally.”
