Sharda Massey named district TOTY
October 11, 2022
Greensboro, Ga. — The Greene County School System named Sharda Massey its 2023 District Teacher of the Year and recognized all three school Teachers of the Year at a reception on October 4.
Sharda Massey is Teacher of the Year at Anita White Carson Middle School, Mira Evans is Teacher of the Year at Greene County Primary School, and Dr. Darren Rhym is Teacher of the Year at Greene County High School.
Sharda Massey is in her seventh year teaching at the Greene County School System, and ninth year teaching elementary math. She began her teaching career at Greensboro Elementary School in 2013 and currently teaches 4th and 5th grade math at Carson Middle School.
Massey received her bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Georgia Southern University and her master’s in Education from Brenau University. She received her specialist degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Piedmont University. Massey said she decided in third grade that she wanted to become a teacher, and that decision guided her through the rest of her educational career. In high school, she worked in daycares and after-school programs to gain experience and took the education career pathway at her high school’s career academy. She believes in having high expectations for her students and helping them to set challenging goals for themselves.
“My philosophy of education has always been and will always be centered around the students. In education, we must realize that all students are unique and they each bring something special to their education,” Massey said. “In my classroom, we focus on building a class community, a community where students feel confident to be themselves and participate in class freely.”
Massey also serves as Head Volleyball Coach at Greene County High School and Girls Basketball Head Coach at CMS.
Mira Evans is in her 18th year teaching at the Greene County School System. She has taught at the elementary, middle, and high school levels in Language Arts, Math, and Special Education. A product of the Greene County School System and 1988 graduate of Greene-Taliaferro Comprehensive High School, Evans received her associate’s degree in Elementary Education from Georgia Military College, her bachelor’s in Special Education from Piedmont College, and her master’s degree from Nova Southeastern University.
Evans was inspired to teach by her own Kindergarten teacher, Patricia Williams, and the love that Williams showed to all her students.
“She made sure her students knew that she loved them by the way she took her time to make sure we understood the lessons she taught,” Evans said. “She was very hands-on with her students and dedicated to making sure she met every child’s needs. I strive daily to make sure my students feel the same way I felt having Mrs. Williams as my teacher.”
Dr. Darren Rhym is in his seventh year teaching English and Literature at Greene County High School, and he previously served as a professor of English and Literature at Morehouse College and the University of North Georgia.
Dr. Rhym received his bachelor’s degree in English from Bucknell University and his master’s from Pennsylvania State University. He received his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Language and Literacy Education from the University of Georgia in 2018.
Rhym describes his teaching style as Emersonian: “We need to encourage students to think and to think deeply,” he says. “This is the recipe to lifelong learning. To teach is to serve, in my opinion. By serving the needs of students through teaching self-reliance, we create students who want to learn.”
