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Georgia: Steadman earns Master Teacher title

By: Chloé Morrison
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Chastity Steadman

LaFAYETTE, Ga. — LaFayette Middle School teacher Chastity Steadman was recognized Monday night by the Walker County Board of Education for her work to become the county’s first Master Teacher.

“It is kind of spotlighted as an individual award, but I would like to give credit where credit is due to the excellent people that I’ve had an opportunity to work with,” Ms. Steadman told the Times Free Press on Tuesday.

The Master Teacher Certificate Program — a performance-based initiative — was created by the Georgia General Assembly in 2005 to provide statewide recognition to teachers. Educators must have at least three years’ experience and demonstrate excellence in the classroom, substantiated by documented gains in student achievement, according to the Master Teacher Web site.

Ms. Steadman, 31, has been teaching eighth-grade math for 10 years. She has a bachelor’s degree from Berry College and a master’s degree from Lincoln Memorial University, in addition to other teaching certifications.

She was one of 57 teachers chosen in 2008 for the Master Teacher honor.

On Monday she was honored for her achievement, but she remains modest.

“I don’t feel like this is something I ever achieved on my own,” she said Tuesday.

Family, friends, co-workers and mentors all contributed to her success, she said. Her mother practiced what she preached when it came to the importance of education, becoming the first on her side of the family to earn a college degree. Her family has supported her career, and her peers have taught her to be a better educator, she said.

Applying for Master Teacher status was an extensive process, officials said. Since it is a performance-based award Ms. Steadman had to cite evidence of student achievement trends, which involved gathering information, such as standardized test scores, about every student she had in the last three years.

Mike Culberson, principal at LaFayette Middle School, said he feels blessed that the county’s only Master Teacher is at his school. Despite Ms. Steadman’s deference to those around her, Mr. Culberson said she did most of the work.

“Her modesty is part of what makes her such a good teacher,” he said.

She comes to school early and stays late to help tutor students, Mr. Culberson said. Even when her father was hospitalized and she took time off work to be with family, Ms. Steadman still came to school to tutor, the principal said.

There is no compensation for becoming a Master Teacher. But Ms. Steadman said she applied because she wanted a challenge and an impartial evaluation of her teaching skills.

Mr. Culberson said the Master Teacher designation is a great honor that Ms. Steadman deserves.

“She is in my eyes not only a master teacher, she is a team player who is unparalleled,” he said.

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