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Eighteen members of Presbyterian College’s Class of 2009 were welcomed into the educational field during the Department of Education’s annual teacher induction ceremony.

Guest speaker Debbie Simpson, an English teacher at Laurens District High School and the 2008 Teacher of the Year in Laurens County School District 55, shared with the group some of her own experiences in the classroom and her philosophies about education.

“I am a stop along the way,” she said, noting that while it is important to teach students content and subject matter, it is also important to prepare them for the inevitable changes in their lives.

“The desire to change things for the better has to be in the heart and soul of every teacher,” Simpson said.

Students may not remember everything they learned in class, she said, but they will remember the people who helped them along the way.

“My former students are glad to see me,” Simpson said. “They know that I challenged them and did not give up on them. They know that I cared."

Simpson encouraged new teachers to discover where their students think they should be and immediately challenge them by raising their expectations.

“It is not okay to settle for ‘okay,’” she said.

Simpson said teachers also should look for respect not only from the peers but also from their students.

“Remember that they’re who you really work for,” she said.

 

Students who took the Oath for Graduating Educators were:

• Elizabeth Anis Blackman, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Blackman Charleston
• Casey Lynn Bookout, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Hiram Bookout of Columbia
• Mary Catherine Carroll, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Hugh R. Carroll of Greenville
• Rebecca Anne Cremer, the daughter of Lola Kay Cremer of Memphis, Tenn.
• Dane Christopher Fehr, the son of Donald C. Fehr of St. Simons Island, Ga.
• Ashley Vaughn Ford, the daughter of Melissa Jo Ford of Marietta, Ga.
• Natalie Shea Green, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Green of Charlotte, N.C.
• Jessica Ann King, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Clement King of Columbia
• Rachel Marie Lewis, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Dennis E. Lewis of Bloomington, Ill.
• Anne Tinsley McCrary, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William F. McCrary of Chapin
• Catherine Alice Millard, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert G. Millard of Hixson, Tenn.
• Jordan Liane Norris, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Norris of Beaufort
• Lockey Boyd Powers, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Paul H. Powers of Columbia
• Susan Dianne Rembert of Erwin, Tenn.
• Thomas James Stillerman, the son of Dr. and Mrs. James Stillerman of Social Circle, Ga.
• Bryson Malone Summers, the son of Mr. and Mrs. James M. Summers of West Columbia
• Elizabeth Miles Turner, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James D. Turner of Columbia
• James Zachary Williams, the son of Mr. and Mrs. John M. Miller of Nichols