Tambra Singletary – Northside Middle

Tambra Singletary is the 2018-2019 Teacher of the Year for Northside Middle School. 

Singletary was born in Macon and raised in Perry and Warner Robins. She is also a proud product of the Houston County School System. Singletary attended Miller Elementary, Northside Junior High and graduated from Northside High School in 1987. After high school graduation, Singletary went on to earn her bachelor’s from Georgia College and master’s degree from Georgia Southern University. Her first teaching job was at Thomson Middle School, and she later taught at Mossy Creek Middle. She then was hired in 2014 as the media specialist for Northside Middle.

Why teaching/What brought you into this field?

“I got my bachelor’s degree in business, and worked at several places, but it wasn’t until I applied for a job at the Houston County Board of Education office when I realized I wanted to become a teacher. I was the secretary for the staff development office and I would often get involved working with the teachers. Not long after that I got my teaching certification from Mercer University and when I got my first teaching job, I knew this was the profession for me.”

Any inspiration from past teachers?

“I am a product of the Houston County School System, enough said. I had some fabulous teachers coming through the system. What’s really neat is [that] some of my teachers that I had [before] retired last year, so being taught by them and working with them has been cool to come full circle like that.”

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

“I really love the relationships I have with the kids. One of my favorite things [about] being the media specialist is changing the minds of students who don’t like to read. They’ll come up to me and say I don’t like reading, and then I’ll ask them questions like well what do you watch on television. I then find books to what they like and then within a couple of days they enjoy reading.”

What is the most challenging part of teaching?

“[The] most challenging part of teaching is to help our students navigate a world that we’re not really familiar with because when we grew up social media did not exist. The things you see on television and media in general are just confusing for the kids. You’ve got that element out there of no control. Especially with bullying on the computer because some kids who do that behind a computer feel they can do whatever. And bullying today goes viral across the city and it’s no longer just in the classroom.”

Advice to students

“My advice to the students is to be true to yourself, and always do your best. If you do your best all the time, you will never have any reason to regret your actions. Always make good choices because they define who you are.”

Advice to parents

“Stay involved with your kids throughout school. There’s this myth when they get in middle school that they don’t need you any more. They need you more now than ever. Yes there is this fine line where you don’t want to hover over them, but talk to them about their friends and be aware of what’s going on. Then they can be open with you.”