Cannon County Schools take pleasure in honoring the District Level Teachers of the Year for the 2023-2024 School Year. A committee selected one teacher in each category to represent Cannon County as the District Teacher of the Year in the Upper Cumberland CORE Region. This past week, the district winners were recognized at each educator’s school.
The Teacher of the Year program recognizes and honors outstanding teachers in Tennessee. The Tennessee Department of Education applauds teachers who care about children, devote their professional lives to enriching Tennessee students’ lives, and demonstrate exceptional gains in student achievement. The program is designed to promote recognition, respect, and appreciation for teachers, to stimulate interest in teaching as a career, and to encourage public involvement in education. Teachers of the Year are selected competitively through five cycles: school, district, region, grand division, and state in three grade bands: Pre-K–4, 5– 8, and 9–12.
Please note that these levels refer to the grade(s) taught by the teacher and not to the grade structure or designation of the individual school.
The following teachers were selected to represent Cannon County Schools as District Teachers of the Year 2023-2024:
PreK-4th Grade District Teacher of the Year – Lacey Floyd, Cannon North Elementary
Ms. Lacey Floyd is in her 7 th year of educating students and is currently teaching 2nd grade at Cannon North Elementary School. Ms. Floyd received her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from TTU in 2014 and has taught in the Coffee County School system and at Saint Paul American School in the Philippines.
Ms. Floyd has been active in many leadership and community involvement projects, such as being a part of the school’s yearbook staff, a school photographer for school events, and a member of the school resilience committee. As part of the resilient grant work, Lacey was able to visit the Ron Clark Academy as a school delegate and has used information learned at the academy to implement positive reinforcements for students.
Lacey states, “I believe that the respect built in my classroom between me and my students is what helps their academic growth.”
5th Grade – 8th Grade District Teacher of the Year– Jeff Todd, Cannon County Middle School
Mr. Todd is in his 31st year of teaching and currently teaches 6th grade social studies at Cannon County Middle School. Mr. Todd received his Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education in 1992 and his Master’s in Reading Instruction in May 2004 from Middle Tennessee State University.
Mr. Todd has spent his career at the former Woodbury Grammar as a teacher and vice principal and as a teacher at Cannon County Middle School. He has served on numerous leadership committees, has been a department head for Social Studies and Language Arts, has mentored student teachers, and has led the resilient grant work at his school. Jeff’s community involvement includes being a former Middle School Football Coach from 1993-2002, a Board Member of Dixie Youth Baseball from 2008-2013, a Middle School Baseball Coach from 2011-2013, and a Deacon at the First Baptist Church, where he participates in the Children’s Ministry program and mission trips.
Mr. Todd states, “As a former English Language Arts teacher, I realize the importance of students reading and writing daily. Students must read high-level text, use critical thinking skills, and engage in real-world writing experiences. By developing a culture of literacy instruction in all content areas, we will no longer be teachers in different departments. We will all be ELA teachers working together to improve students’ literacy skills.”
9th Grade – 12th Grade District Teacher of the Year– Kami Smith, Cannon County High School
Mrs. Kami Smith is in her 15th year of teaching and is currently teaching Special Education classes at Cannon County High School. Ms. Smith received her Bachelor of Science degree in 2008 and her Master of Education in Administration and Supervision in 2022 from Middle Tennessee State University. She has held leadership positions at the school and community level.
Ms. Smith has been an Academic Dean for seniors at Cannon County High School, is currently a FCA sponsor, is a board member for Covenant Academy, and has volunteered for the Warren County Animal Control. Ms. Smith has experience at high school, middle school, and elementary school levels and has taught in the Coffee County and Warren County school systems.
Ms. Smith states, “In the role I hold as a teacher of exceptional students, I have the opportunity to collaborate with multiple teachers for multiple students. I promote a culture of care and high expectations and foster relationships. I believe that worth in the classroom isn’t always measured by an initiative, a project, or a piece of data. It is measured by attitude, commitment, and helping students know they are worthy of praise and recognition and that the struggles they may face in the classroom are just a chapter in their story, not the whole book.”
L-R: Bonnie Patterson, Director of Schools; Kami Smith, 9th -12th Grade District Teacher of the Year; Courtney Nichols, Principal Cannon County High School