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A Troup High American literature teacher took home one of the school system’s top honors Wednesday night.

Linda Wood was named the 2022 Troup County School System’s Teacher of the Year. Now, she will go on to compete in the State Teacher of the Year program this Fall.

“I can tell you without a doubt the most important job in the school system … is a teacher,” Wood said during her acceptance speech at the Teacher of the Year banquet on Wednesday. “Being a teacher is the most rewarding and fulfilling job you can have.”

Wood teaches eleventh-grade and has taught at TCSS for the past 30 years. She began teaching at Troup High School in 2018 to teach ninth-grade literature. 

The other finalists were Katie King, a fifth-grade English language arts teacher at Hogansville Elementary School and Tishana Hines, an English language arts teacher at HOPE Academy.

During the banquet, principals for each of the finalists’ schools made encouraging remarks about each of the finalists.

Troup High Principal Nikki Watts said Wood had an extensive resume when she came in. Watts said Wood’s experience made her “a bit nervous” as she was asking her to teach ninth-grade literature, which at the time was an EOCT-tested area and included ninth-grade repeaters.

“I was fully expecting her to walk right out the door but instead, without hesitation, she said [it] was perfect, those were [her] kids, that’s my heart, [and] that’s my clientele,” Wats said. “I was a fan immediately.”

Each school’s teacher of the year is chosen first through teachers at each elementary, middle and high school in the county. Then, a panel of school system and community members and a four-member panel of non-school system members, explained TCSS Public Relations Manager Irisha Goodman.

Both Wood’s husband, Jerome Wood and daughter, Elizabeth Wood, were in attendance.

Elizabeth said the honor was well-deserved.

“She’s been my teacher all my life, so it doesn’t surprise me,” Elizabeth said. “Knowing how my mom taught me at home [and] how she teaches her students, I know she’s is a great teacher.”

Also in attendance were three of Wood’s students, Christian Wood, Bryson Williams and Elijah Schueler. Schueler said he’s excited for Wood to compete in the state level of the Teacher of the Year program.

“She deserves the award and honor,” he said. “She’s fun, she’s caring, and she wants all of her students to enjoy learning and enjoy school.”