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Gretchen Logan Teacher of the Year
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| Gretchen Logan helps Keldon Dixon during a lesson about thermometers. |
By Jeremy Styron News Editor
As she was accepting her award Jan. 24 at the annual Rabun County Teacher of the Year reception, South Rabun Elementary School second-grade teacher Gretchen Logan was perhaps reminded of the vocation she didn't pursue.
Originally headstrong on becoming a marine biologist, Logan quickly made a broad move in another direction.
"When you look back at it, you know there was a lot of divine intervention going on," she said Friday.
Logan began college at Mercer University, where she, along with her twin sister, met future husband James in her freshman year. James was an ordained minister at the time.
For a period, James dated both Gretchen and her sister, but quickly chose the former. The relationship got serious quickly, and Gretchen said "things went fast" from that point.
Something that also went quickly: her plans to study marine biology.
"I realized traveling around the world was not going to be compatible with the responsibilities of a Southern Baptist minister," she said. She began taking teaching classes and internships and found her calling.
"I discovered I really liked this," she said. "This is what I was really supposed to do."
Appropriately, this year marks not only her highest teaching honor but her 40th anniversary.
"I knew that whoever had been selected from the other schools would be top-notched," she said, quietly assuming that recognition would fall to someone else.
During an in-class evaluation, one of the school officials who had come from another school district to judge Teacher of the Year nominations gave a perplexing sign as she left the classroom.
"She kind of got this big smile, and she gave a thumbs up, so I thought, 'What does that mean?'" Logan said.
Later that afternoon, Principal Stan Rentz made the big announcement, and somehow, Logan knew.
"I about mouthed it with him when he said, 'Gretchen Logan,'" she said.
"This is one of the nicest ways to let teachers know, 'Well done, thy good and faithful servant,'" she added.
Kerrigan Welch thought Logan has done a good job teaching her.
"She tells us words, and if we don't know how to spell a word, she'll write it down for us," Welch said.
Johnathan Henson agreed. "She's a great teacher. She's one of the best teachers in the school, and she's really easy to get along with."
Logan also helps them, "like, if we have a huge word," Henson said.
"Like responsibility, that's a big word." Matt Adams interjected.
"Or possibility," Henson said.
Originally headstrong on becoming a marine biologist, Logan quickly made a broad move in another direction.
"When you look back at it, you know there was a lot of divine intervention going on," she said Friday.
Logan began college at Mercer University, where she, along with her twin sister, met future husband James in her freshman year. James was an ordained minister at the time.
For a period, James dated both Gretchen and her sister, but quickly chose the former. The relationship got serious quickly, and Gretchen said "things went fast" from that point.
Something that also went quickly: her plans to study marine biology.
"I realized traveling around the world was not going to be compatible with the responsibilities of a Southern Baptist minister," she said. She began taking teaching classes and internships and found her calling.
"I discovered I really liked this," she said. "This is what I was really supposed to do."
Appropriately, this year marks not only her highest teaching honor but her 40th anniversary.
"I knew that whoever had been selected from the other schools would be top-notched," she said, quietly assuming that recognition would fall to someone else.
During an in-class evaluation, one of the school officials who had come from another school district to judge Teacher of the Year nominations gave a perplexing sign as she left the classroom.
"She kind of got this big smile, and she gave a thumbs up, so I thought, 'What does that mean?'" Logan said.
Later that afternoon, Principal Stan Rentz made the big announcement, and somehow, Logan knew.
"I about mouthed it with him when he said, 'Gretchen Logan,'" she said.
"This is one of the nicest ways to let teachers know, 'Well done, thy good and faithful servant,'" she added.
Kerrigan Welch thought Logan has done a good job teaching her.
"She tells us words, and if we don't know how to spell a word, she'll write it down for us," Welch said.
Johnathan Henson agreed. "She's a great teacher. She's one of the best teachers in the school, and she's really easy to get along with."
Logan also helps them, "like, if we have a huge word," Henson said.
"Like responsibility, that's a big word." Matt Adams interjected.
"Or possibility," Henson said.
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