2004 - 2005 Elementary Teacher of the Year

Phyllis Owens Clarkson

Mrs. Clarkson, a fifth-grade teacher at Southwestern Elementary School, received her bachelor's degree from the University of South Carolina at Spartansburg and her master's from the University of Virginia. At Southwestern, Mrs. Clarkson has participated in the Field Day Committee and the School Improvement Team. She has chaired the African-American and the Accelerated Reader Committees. She has been a writer for mathematics checkpoint tests and science benchmark tests. Additionally she has served as an after-school remediation teacher and a beginning teacher mentor. With her father, she as co-authored a book, Light Bulb Moments in Arithmetic, to help students and their parents understand basic concepts in mathematics.

Mrs. Dalphine Ricks, principal, writes, "Mrs. Clarkson communicates interest and caring for her students. Excellent rapport with students is evident. Her students love and respect her and are pleased to be in her class. As an administrator, I have been continually impressed with Phyllis' driving commitment to excellence and her uncompromising quest for quality educational opportunities for all young people. She never loses sight of students and their needs."

Mrs. Clarkson, the daughter of a university mathematics professor, states, "I will always consider my greatest contribution in education as helping individual students achieve mastery of required subject areas. I first seek to identify those students who need special help with behavioral and learning problems. I seek to instill my love of learning into each of my students on a daily basis. I love watching my students grasp new concepts and knowledge. I celebrate each goal that my students achieve in reading, English, mathematics, science, and social studies."

Vondrae Jerome McCoy, a student, writes, "Mrs. Clarkson is a wonderful teacher because she makes learning fun. She is always happy and 99.9 percent of the time she has a smile on her face. She cares about our class' education. She wants us to become something great when we grow up."