by Julie Lineback
Governor Nathan Deal’s office recently named University of West Georgia alumna Terrie L. Ponder a commissioner with the Georgia Professional Standards Commission. The appointment will last until 2016.
In 2011, Terrie graduated from UWG with her master’s degree in secondary education social sciences, and she received her education specialist degree in media and instructional technology in 2012. She has taught seventh grade social studies at Carrollton Junior High School since 2005.
The Georgia Professional Standards Commission sets and applies guidelines for the preparation, certification and continued licensing of public educators.
Terrie believes her education and time spent at UWG helped make her a better teacher and prepare her for her role as a commissioner. While completing her specialist degree, she found a new passion for integrating technological tools in the classroom.
“I vowed to myself that within one year I would completely transform my students’ learning environment into one in which my students would not be confined within the four walls of my classroom but instead would be connected to the world via 21st century technological tools,” she explains.
Her newfound zeal led her to become one of Georgia’s 2014 Top 10 Teacher of the Year finalists. She proceeded to be selected to participate in a pilot program to help shape future performance assessments, testify before the State’s House and Senate Education Committee, and serve on the State School Superintendent’s Advisory Council and UWG’s University Council on Education Preparation.
“I believe all of these opportunities ultimately prepared me for my commission appointment,” Terrie concludes. “However, without my experience and studies at the University of West Georgia, I would never have been prepared to take part in these opportunities in the first place.”
For more information on the Georgia Professional Standards Commission, visit http://www.gapsc.com/.
