Mother helped guide Carol Boges into the classroom

EDITOR’S NOTE: First of eight profiles of the Dougherty County School System’s 2018 Teacher of the Year finalists.

ALBANY — West Town Elementary STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) teacher Carol Boges said her path to the classroom was determined by family values that guided her journey from elementary through high school.

“Growing up in the rural south in the late ’60s in an economically challenged household presented many challenges for me and my family,” Boges, a finalist for Dougherty County’s 2018 Teacher of the Year, said,” My father dropped out of school in the third grade because he had to work to help take care of his mother and sisters. Consequently, he did not experience the value of an education. On the other hand, my mother always stressed the importance of a good education.”

Boges added that a lack of parental support and the need to work to support herself forced her mother to drop out before graduating from high school.

“She often said, ‘An education is the doorway to success.’ She was adamant that her children would receive a quality education, get a good job and become productive members of society,” Boges said of her mother. “My mother’s faith, perseverance and attitude inspired me to push past obstacles and strive for success.”

Boges regards her life as a “journey” that has taken many paths.

“As I journeyed through my years of formal education, I encountered great teachers, mediocre teachers and individuals employed as teacher who had obviously missed their calling,” the TOY finalist said. “Regardless of the teacher I was placed with, my mother’s expectations (that soon became mine) was where I learned the subject matter and excelled.

“I also surmised through my journey that all students deserved a champion who would fight for them, regardless of their background.”

Boges, who has been with the DCSS for 21 years, holds a BBA and masters degrees in Early Childhood Education from Albany State Universality and an E.D. from Walden University.

The other seven finalists for 2018 Dougherty County School System Teacher of the Year are William Wright III, Albany Middle; Sequaous Walker, Robert Cross Middle; Jillian Lockette, Alice Coachman Elementary; Jane Maples, Lake Park Elementary; Kanese Rachel, Lincoln Elementary; Timothy Hardwick, Radium Springs Elementary, and Docoras Robinson, Turner Elementary.

Dougherty County’s 2018 Teacher of the Year will be announced at a banquet at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Merry Acres Events Center.