A Bulloch County teacher was selected recently for a state award recognizing her work mentoring Georgia's future educators.
Melissa Whiteman, a sixth-grade social studies teacher at Southeast Bulloch Middle, is a recipient of a Georgia Mentor Teacher Award for the Southeast P-20 Regional Collaborative, according to a release from the school district. Sponsored by the Georgia Association of Colleges for Teacher Education Association, Whiteman is one of only nine teachers selected to receive the award in 2026.
She mentors collegiate education majors placed at her school to complete pre-service course requirements, such as student teaching.
"This is such an honor," Whiteman said. "My classroom has benefited greatly from our partnership with Georgia Southern University. Thank you for acknowledging my work in the classroom with my Georgia Southern teacher candidates."
According to the release, the award honors educators who go beyond their classroom duties to model, coach and guide the next generation of Georgia teachers. Award recipients are nominated by postsecondary faculty from colleges of education across the state. Whiteman was nominated by a faculty member at Georgia Southern.
"Exemplary mentor teachers and the steadfast support they receive from school and district leadership are essential to the success of our pre-service teachers," said Angie Gant, Ed.D., a board member for the Association and a professional learning specialist for the Pioneer Regional Education Service Agency. "The Association deeply appreciates Whiteman's vital – and often behind-the-scenes – work to ensure the success of every student in our state."
Whiteman and the other award recipients will be honored at a banquet during the Association's fall conference on Nov. 19 on St. Simons Island. Multiple Bulloch County educators have received the award over the years, including Jessica Autry of Portal Elementary School, who was an award recipient last year.
Whiteman, an educator with more than 28 years of experience, has taught in Bulloch County for 14 years, including 11 years at Southeast Bulloch Middle. She obtained a bachelor's degree in elementary and middle grades education from Frostburg State University in Maryland.
She believes her experience teaching across multiple states, grade levels and subjects gives her a unique perspective, making her a valuable mentor to pre-service and new educators. She is also a teacher leader at SEB Middle, having served as the chairperson of a faculty professional learning community and an academic department, and as an advisor for multiple student extracurricular programs.