‘Such a great experience’ – Jessica Hawk honored as Teacher of the Year

WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — A benevolent teacher adds a respected award to her collection.

On July 26, at Southside Baptist Church, Jessica Hawk was presented the Teacher of the Year award. Hawk is going into her 21st year as a teacher and her fourth year as an early intervention teacher (EIT) for Bonaire Elementary School.

“I provide interventions for our students who may be struggling… we try to really help to catch those kids up and get them where they need to be [academically],” said Hawk.

When asked how she felt about being named Teacher of the Year, Hawk said, “I know how many hard-working, wonderful teachers we have in this county, so to get the opportunity to step into this role, I’m just so honored; it’s like a dream come true”.

Along with the award, she received a plethora of gifts. Among these were cash donations, gift certificates and most notably, Hughes Honda gave her the option of a new 2023 Honda Accord or a cash donation.

“A lot of businesses from around Houston County did donate… which have been wonderful, it’s been such a great experience, I’ve felt very spoiled through this process so far,” Hawk thanked.

Attaining the prestigious award requires a teacher who can be defined as great in every way. So, we asked Hawk what makes a great teacher.

“You’ve got to have a true love of children; you’ve got to have a passion to want to help these students. As a teacher, you take on the role of so many things. We are nurses in the classroom, we are support… you really are everything for these kids while they’re with you for eight hours a day. And when you step into this role you have to be able to provide that love, support, balance… because you want these kids to love school and love learning, and then we want them to know we love them… students do better when you build relationships with them,” said Hawk.

Hawk is very interested in staying as an EIT; she describes it as her calling, saying that she loves working with kids and her role as a teacher.

“As many roles as I’ve served, this is my favorite. I like working with the struggling kids; I like making that difference in their life each and every day,” said Hawk.

As mentioned, being a teacher requires you to be everything for students during class, which can be draining at times. Luckily, Hawk has a very loving family consisting of her husband and two kids.

“I do have a great support system at home. My kids feel like the school is their second home because they’ve pretty much been raised being a part of the school,” said Hawk, going on to explain how her children became close with the other teachers’ children.

Finally, Hawk took the time to thank Houston County and the staff at Bonaire for their support.

“I love working in Houston County, I could not ask for a better support system… it’s just a really good environment to be in,” Hawk said.

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