THOMASVILLE – After 21 years at Thomas County Central High School, Teresa Carver continues to inspire a love of learning within her students and expand her leadership role amongst her peers.

Not only is she a classroom educator, but this year marks Carver’s first as the school’s social studies department chair. 

Her role’s primary focus is mentoring fellow educators. Her responsibilities include setting goals, instructional pacing, coordinating department meetings and ordering departmental supplies. Carver’s role is to be there for the teachers and help the classrooms run smoothly. 

“Facilitate, encourage, and equip are terms that would describe the role of department chair,” she said. “Being available, helping when needed, providing support, and securing materials all sound like classroom-centered activities, but they are also part of the department chair role, except the focus is on helping adults.”

Carver’s role has expanded to include mentoring as well. Carver serves as the system induction lead for Thomas County Central. She works with Thomas County Schools’ Dr. Scott Sweeting, TCCHS Principal Jamie Thompson, and other administrators to plan for new teachers to transition into the school system. Carver collaborates with new teachers and their assigned mentors and offers support when needed. 

“We want new teachers to feel supported and become part of our Yellow Jacket family,” she said. “It is a process that builds our future by helping our teachers to be simply the best.”

When looking back at the beginning of her career, Carver noted people who influenced her to choose a teaching career, including a number of her instructors, all of whom inspired her within their field, including science.

“I was the science project queen in high school, was president of the science club, and even took extra science classes,” she said. “While I toyed with the idea of a career in marine biology, the desire to teach won.”

For Carver, her love of teaching stems from realizing the impact she can make on her students.

“It was a rush to be able to help someone learn,” Carver said of discovering her teaching potential. “I still get a rush when a student ‘gets it,’ reaches beyond what they thought their potential was, and especially when a struggling student makes progress.”

While she had an affinity for many subjects, Carver became a social studies teacher due to her love of history. She even lives in a house over a century old.

“I love historical fiction and learning about history, including the history of politics,” she said. “My family teases that we are history nerds and about how many museums and historical sites I took our boys to on family vacations. We don’t need the HISTORY channel. We just get into family discussions.”

Furthermore, teaching is in Carver’s blood, as many family members were educators. Even her husband, Alfred Carver, works in the Thomas County Middle School Media Center.

“My great-grandfather was a teacher in Thomas County,” she said. “I had a great-aunt who was also a teacher. They both taught in one-room schoolhouses. Another reason why I like teaching history – I have lived so much of it!”

Carver is a long-term Thomas County resident, having lived here most of her life. Carver holds a bachelor’s degree from Valdosta State University, a master’s from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary in Michigan, and an educational specialist degree from Thomas University.

“I have always lived in Thomas County except while in college and when first married,” she said. “I taught in three other schools, but it was a dream to come back home to Central in 2002. I love being back home.”

Carver has been a very influential teacher to her students. Not only does she teach history lessons of the past, but she also inspires students to become lifelong learners. 

“I hope that students who think they don’t like history learn to like history and see connections,” she said. “I hope they all feel and know that I want the best for them and will do whatever to help them be successful students in my classroom.”

Carver is a beloved teacher to many, inspiring students with her knowledge and her warm personality. 

Emma Barrow, a 10th-grade World History student, loves how kind Carver is to students.

“She never fails to make me smile on days I really don’t want to,” Barrow said. “Mrs. Carver always makes sure her students are okay. She is persistent on grades because she wants to see students do good in life.”

Ninth-grader Dru Jones agrees, referencing the welcoming environment Carver brings to the classroom.

“My favorite part of Mrs. Carver’s class is the way she welcomes you with open arms,” he said.

Carver is always on task when it comes to showing her students how to be successful now and in the future. A quintessential example of this goal is the difference Carver helped make in the life of one of her middle school students. 

“I worked with a student who was struggling in school,” Carver said. “I thought the student might have dyslexia. The student was tested and did have dyslexia. As an adult, the student thanked me and told me I was the reason they were able to read.

“I can think of others who thanked me when they were adults. Those are really the most touching moments: when you know that you helped make someone’s life better.”

Additionally, Carver’s love of and dedication to others extends to her life outside the classroom. She is a wife of 39 years and a mother to two children, William and David. She has one grandchild, Peter. She is also an active member of her church, spends time on home carpentry projects, and loves to travel, having taught in German schools during the summertime. When she needs a break, her favorite pastime is visiting a quiet beach to enjoy the ocean, read, and relax.

But no matter where life takes her, Carver always remembers her blessings as an educator and never misses an opportunity to encourage others to consider the profession.

“I have been blessed beyond measure as a teacher,” she said. “I have worked with outstanding professional educators and wonderful students who have enriched my life. Every job has challenges, and teaching is no exception, but I would encourage those who have the desire to consider a career in education. It is rewarding.”