​Jeffrey Maxey, a special education resource teacher at Starr Elementary School in Anderson School District Three has been named the 2019 State Teacher of the Year.  The State Superintendent of Education, Molly Spearman, made the announcement at the annual Teacher of the Year gala held on May 2, 2018.
 
Maxey serves in several roles in addition to his teaching responsibilities: Department Head, Mentor, Master Teacher, District Teacher Trainer, and District Evaluator.  He spent eight years teaching educators in North Africa before coming to South Carolina.
 
For the next year, Maxey will complete a one-year residency at CERRA as he serves as an education ambassador.  In that role, he will work with Teacher Cadets and Teaching Fellows, lead the State Teacher Forum, attend various speaking engagements, and serve as a representative of the state’s over 50,000 educators.

​Lexington School District Two’s Teacher of the Year, Daniel Bailey, received this prestigious award at the gala.  Bailey, a teacher at Airport High School, has said that he wants his students to discover the value in helping others.  He plans to donate the check that accompanies the award to Airport’s Camp Kemo annual fundraiser.  

​The District Teachers of the Year were celebrated in a black tie optional gala hosted by South Carolina Future Minds.  Guests gathered for a reception while they awaited the grand entrance of the District Teachers of the Year.  Each honored teacher entered to a trumpet serenade.  During the event, guests posed for photos with the BMW and networked with colleagues, lawmakers, family, and friends.  During the dinner, a co-author of Just A Chicken, Preston Thorne, entertained the crowd with stories of his experience in education.  Daniel Bailey of Lexington District Two was named the recipient of the Charles Dickerson award which recognizes community service efforts, and Jeffrey Maxey was named the 2019 South Carolina Teacher of the Year.

​The next day began with a breakfast at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, which was hosted and catered by Bojangles.  Jeffrey Maxey and Whitney Glenn, who could not attend as she was expecting the birth of her second child, were surprised with 5 night Caribbean cruises.  Daniel Bailey was again honored for his award. The teachers then visited the State House.  They were recognized by the House of Representatives and the Senate. After taking a group photo on the steps of the State House, the teachers made their way back to the cathedral to attend a working lunch.  The lunch began with a presentation of rings by Thomas and Dusty Rhodes of Jostens to acknowledge the finalists’ accomplishments. The 2018 Honor Roll teachers then facilitated a discussion in which the District Teachers of the Year identified key education issues that need to be addressed at the state or local levels.

​CERRA’s book study came to a close with a video-conference to discuss the group’s key take-aways of the book.  See a summary of the main talking points below.

BY TODD SCHOLL

On Wednesday, May 2, 2018, State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman announced that the 2019 South Carolina Teacher of the Year is Jeff Maxey, a Special Education resource teacher at Starr Elementary School in Anderson School District Three.

"Jeff exhibits the qualities and characteristics that we want to see in every current and future South Carolina educator. He is so deserving of this tremendous honor and I know he will do a fantastic job advocating and representing our over 50,000 teachers this next year," said State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman.

In addition to teaching Special Education, Maxey serves as the Special Education Department Head, District Teacher Trainer, District Evaluator, Master Teacher, and Mentor. Maxey originally pursued a career as a minister. While serving in that role, he pastored a funeral for a young student. Afterwards, he received an invitation to visit the classrooms of the student’s senior class to help them understand their loss. It was during this experience that he became inspired to become a teacher. Jeffrey’s grandparents instilled a love of games and puzzles that required logic, such as Backgammon and Chess. “I am reminded of those puzzles and the logic of those games as I desire to impact the lives of students with special needs. Like creative puzzles or multifaceted games, each student has many intricate designs within. My goal is to help them discover what is inside, then let it out.” This desire put him on a path to teach inner-city middle school students, then to North Africa for eight years to teach educators as the National Director of Education and Training for a non-government organization, and finally to South Carolina.

As part of the state Teacher of the Year awards program, Maxey receives $25,000 and a brand new BMW for one year. 

Considered one of the country's strongest, the South Carolina Teacher of the Year program celebrates excellence and strengthens the teaching force by honoring and recognizing exceptional teachers on a district, state, and national level. These awards not only assist in retention efforts but serve as a powerful recruitment tool.

The South Carolina Teacher of the Year completes a one-year residency at CERRA while serving the state as an education ambassador. In this role he will provide mentoring, attend speaking engagements, work with Teacher Cadets and Teaching Fellows, lead the State Teacher Forum, and serve as the state spokesperson for over 50,000 educators. 

​Learn more about The Teacher of the Year program.