Editor's Note: Teacher of the Year has been one of the most peculiar honors in recent years. A lot of teachers wonder how the decision is made. This year the award was about as much a surprise to the recipient as it was to her colleagues. In fact, it was such a surprise that she missed the honors ceremony in Charleston for the county winners.

Needless to say this angered her husband, Cully, a normally mild-mannered man who was upset that such an important honor had gone ignored in Pocahontas County. There was no local recognition of this exciting honor. Some people were even surprised that Pam had been selected Teacher of the Year for the county.

Who was at fault? No one at the board meeting was about to take the blame for this messup. And certainly no one was going to apologize for overlooking this momentous honor for Pam. Margaret Worth even suggested that an apology was in order but the board and all the administrators sat with stone faces determined not to take the blame.

I don't blame Cully for being P I S S E D!!! Look at the BOE!! They are clueless! Kenny Vance needs to go lay down somewhere! He is a washed up, wanna be, never has been idiot! And the rest.... come on! This is THE TEACHER OF THE YEAR!!!!!!!!!! They rely on the state for that teacher to receive recognition? The Pocahontas Teacher Of The year should be held her own reception BY THE BOE!!! Instead, they rely on the state to deliver the news and let it go at that! What the hell kind of message is the Pocahontas BOE sending to the kids? Excellence is highly regarded in other places. Here in Pocahontas, we're simply unimpressed! This just compels me and many others to say: GTH BOE! You are a joke! You show up for the pay check and that's it!

This is just awful. How could 7-10 people not plan something for Teacher of The Year. You (BOE) should be ashamed of yourselves.

They reallllllllyyy need to get it together.

i just feel sorry for the teacher. i doubt she would have missed something like that on purpose. missing something that she is representing all the teachers in pocahontas county for. i don't blame her husband for being angry because it is hard watching someone you love be upset over negligence.

This is disgraceful! I have had the pleasure of working with Pam in her class, as a substitute aide. The kids love her and she really cares about them. You can tell she loves to teach, just by watching her interact with the kids. Seems like when I was in school being Teacher of the Year was a real big deal. They would honor the teacher at a board meeting and also suprise the teacher with flowers and a plaque, during the school day. I'm sure Pam is really upset about this, as she should be. Cully handled it better than I would have , when Dr. Law gave his flimsy excuse of well, my email said she had been notified. I believe the Board should have informed her first. Then she would have known about the banquet in Charleston. I'm sure they hold this banquet about the same time each year.So, they can't say well this was sprung on us,we had no idea. I don't remember if Margaret was Teacher of the Year or not, but she understood that the Board was wrong in not informing Pam. At least she had the nerve to tell Dr. Law ,we should apoligize for this.

Dr. Law needs to move on. I wish the teachers of the county would speak up. This has gone on way to long.

Would anyone be interested in putting together some kind of award for Pam?

I am sure Pam would be embarassed by the specticle. Law is a joke, he needs to be released from contract asap and relieved of his duties even sooner. The way he and Busick treat this county is disgraceful. All the idiot had to do was apologize and assume resposibilty as the head man and agree to make it right but instead he is so arrogant and cocky, he refuses. Margaret needs serious help on that board.

Norman get Cully to run for BOE.

I would. I'll make her cake and donate it to the party.

Wow How SAD!!!

I am glad to see the positive comments about Margaret Worth. You just won't find a better person anywhere than Margaret. Lucky at least to have her on the board. Hope the voters keep her there.

KUDOS TO THIS HUSBAND!!!

There is no way to give this lady back what was taken from her - - but can I be the first to say that she is truly fortunate to have a husband like this. He is taking up for her, so passionate about how the board totally screwed this up. You can tell he wanted so badly to protect her and make this right. Very sweet!!!

The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia - Teacher of year http://apps.grouptivity.com/socialmail/main.do?uId=332495&tId=250352&pk=93645897868&acn=zj!d9&pId=lddglP9kZt4=&acn=zj!d9

Published: September 15, 2009 12:06 am print this story

Teacher of year
By Amelia A. Pridemore
Register-Herald Reporter

Sandra Lee Shaw went home Monday night with $1,000 after being named Raleigh County’s Teacher of the Year.

But she said her greatest honor will come this morning, when she greets her students.

Shaw, a 25-year art teacher at Woodrow Wilson High School, was named the 2009-2010 Raleigh County Teacher of the Year Monday night, during a ceremony at the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center. She received a plaque and $1,000 from the Beckley Area Foundation. Shaw was also the state’s Art Educator of the Year for 2008-2009, and she has National Board Certification.

“Forgive me for channeling Sally Field when I say, ‘You like me! You really, really like me!’” Shaw exclaimed when she received the award. “...This is a really, really special moment in time. It’s a real honor to be recognized by your peers and superiors. I will hold this dear for the rest of my life.

“But tomorrow morning, when I face my students — that will be my greatest reward. I’m one of those corny people who really loves what I do.”

Almost everyone has a teacher who inspired and led him or her to become the person he or she is today, Shaw said. For her, it was a college professor who encouraged her to study art when she originally planned to become an English teacher. When she was a public school student, art was not taught.

Shaw also considered herself fortunate to teach in West Virginia because she believes state education officials see the importance in fine arts education. Elsewhere, these programs have been cut or outright dropped.

“I believe that in 21st-century learning, the arts are core,” she said. “To have it elevated to academic status is very humbling and rewarding. It makes you feel like you’re a very important central component.

“It’s not about singing pretty songs, drawing pretty pictures or even developing artists. The majority of my students will probably never be artists. But all jobs require you to be creative, work well with others, communicate and solve problems.”

Edward E. Evans, an eighth-grade science teacher at Mount View High School in McDowell County, was the ceremony’s keynote speaker. The Woodrow Wilson High School graduate was named the 2008-2009 National Science Teacher of the Year, and he is the president of the West Virginia Science Teachers Association.

Evans emphasized a teacher’s responsibility is not filling students’ heads with facts. A teacher’s duty is to show students how to think and to inspire them as “molders” and “shapers.” They must also prepare their students as they cross county lines and state lines — often to where others only know West Virginia stereotypes.

At a Miami conference, he said people actually asked him if West Virginians wore shoes or had indoor plumbing.

“It sounds like the Bible verse, ‘Can nothing good come out of Nazareth?’” Evans said. “Can nothing good come out of West Virginia? You bet it can. We have to help our students cross the county lines and be prepared.”

Five Teacher of the Year finalists received $500 from Beckley Area Foundation. They are:

- Michele Carter, Shady Spring Elementary

- Vickie Aliff, Cranberry-Prosperity Elementary

- Sharon L. Keadle, Shady Spring High

- Lisa Dellamea, Stratton Elementary

- Linda Pannell, Lester Elementary

Other nominees for the award include:

- Jeffrey Wayne Lacy, Academy of Careers and Technology

- Rachel Halstead, Beckley Elementary

- Milinda Morrison, Beckley-Stratton Middle

- Julie A. Midkiff, Bradley Elementary

- Raymond Davidson, Clear Fork District Elementary

- Melissa Goodson, Coal City Elementary

- Kathleen McConnell, Crab Orchard Elementary

- Laura Fygetakes, Crescent Elementary

- Kelly Williams, Daniels Elementary

- Marlene Lucas, Fairdale Elementary

- Michelle L. Blankenship, Ghent Elementary

- Tammy Scarborough, Hollywood Elementary

- Larry E. Stewart, Independence High

- Debra Meador, Independence Middle

- Kristen August, Liberty High

- Bilie Arthur, Mabscott Elementary

- Dennis Dye, Marsh Fork Elementary

- Mary Jo Michael, Maxwell Hill Elementary

- Charlotte B. Wright, Park Middle

- Gina Martine, Shady Spring Middle

- Jaclyn Adams, Sophia-Soak Creek Elementary

- Caron Lynn Miller, Stanaford Elementary

- Gina Dye, Trap Hill Middle

This is wrong!

Cully is a great man for pointing out the wrong done to his wife.

Kenny Vance was an idiot 20 years ago, I guess it hasn't improved.

Law is a joke, he needs to realize he works for the citizens of the County.

This whole thing makes me just about as angry as Cully!

All of you who commented on this are right. When I heard this today, I was so shocked that the responsible person(s), did not notify this teacher, and that even if Dr. Law said that the e-mail he got said that she had bee notified, would congratulations not have been in order by the county supentedent? The sad thing is that what has been done to her can never be corrected, appology or not, and she will never be able to have her recognition in Charleston, along with the other county Teacher of the Year winners. This is just another example of not respecting and praising the employees of the Pocahontas County Board of Education. Shame on them! Her husband should be commended for his willingness to call this to the attention of the board and the citizens of Pocahontas County.

Thank you Norman for video taping this so that we can all see what Cully had to say to the Board.

You are very welcome; it was my pleasure!

I hope everyone of you who posted remembers your ire the next time you vote.

We need change and the way to effect it is to vote against those in power.

My hat's off to Cully and my thanks to Pam. Not much but it's all I have to give at this time.

Norman, from the article in the Pocahontas Pimes, Did he say he ought to burn the place down? I don't think he would say such a thing.

On a certain level, I find this very disturbing. I can't believe someone would address the Board in such a rude and unprofessional manner. He should have been dismissed from the meeting until he cooled off.

I can't believe someone would get so upset because their "special" day wasn't celebrated. People forget my birthday all the time and I could care less. To suggest the Board needs to recognize your wife is a very pompus attitude.

Personally, I think this sets a very, very poor example for the children. We should teach them humility and the art of being humble.

If you watch the video of Cully addressing the Board, there was no mention of burning the place down. Was that what the Pocahontas Times said? I don't get mine until tomorrow, so I will have to read the article then.

Practice what you preach. It may come back to bite you in the end. I would have been upset too if this had happened to my wife. The unprofessional manner occured when the Superintendent failed to recognize one of his own teachers and commend her for a job well done. Shame, shame!

Now watch it. You are not setting a good example for the children.

What? Are you kidding? A birthday comes once a year. Teacher of the year is once in a life time..so yeah, I would say its a very special day. Your a idot!

Maybe there's a reason that disturbed's birthday is forgotten all the time.....kinda' makes you think that if it's forgotten, maybe others wish that they were never born......Go figure.

I talked with one of the people that were there that night and they said nothing about any comment being made in reference to that.

"People forget my birthday all the time and I could care less."

What a totally ridiculous statement. These two 'forgets' are certainly not equal. You do nothing to earn a birthday except to keep breathing. Teacher of the year is a huge achievement - years of hard work - a major accomplishment!!!! This teacher missed her chance of a lifetime in not being informed of this wonderful acknowledgement by the State of WV. The Board of Education of Pocahontas County and the State of WV need to make this horrible omission up to this teacher in some huge very public way. I cannot fathom that such a mistake could have been made when so many people were involved. SHAME, SHAME!

I know it doesn't make up for her missing her "moment" at the Awards Ceremony, but maybe something else could be done at least in Pocahontas County to recognize her. A public awards ceremony where the public could be invited to recognize her and make her feel special.

Just a thought.

Congratulations Pam!

I'll admit the birthday analogy was poor.

I still believe it is very self serving to expect people to celebrate your successes. Why not celebrate the dedication and service of all the teachers? What about the cooks, bus drivers, etc.? Don't they all deserve recognition? The arrogance of expecting recognition is disturbing to me.

If you get recognition, you should humbly accept it. If you don't, seek self-satisfaction and keep you nose to the grind stone. Your position in life is no more important than the other members of the team!

This is from the Pocahontas Times:

Marlinton resident Cully McCurdy addressed the board with his frustration over his wife not receiving recognition from the board for being selected the Pocahontas County Teacher of the Year.

McCurdy explained that his wife received an email September 4 from the state board of education September 4 about the banquet planned for the next day. He called Liz Bryant, Secretary III-A, at the state board and explained that he and his wife knew nothing about her selection and didn’t understand why they were not contacted earlier.

“My wife was devastated,” he stated firmly. “All this work that you try to do and she’s selected Teacher of the Year and it’s all trivialized. I want to make sure that every teacher in this county knows how she was treated. Something needs to be done. She told me that Maria Busick was the coordinator and, I know we’re busy and that the kids are number one, but I want answers, my wife wants answers. She deserves this.”

Superintendent Dr. J. Patrick Law told McCurdy that he received an email from Bryant on August 24 that read, “Your county teacher of the year has already been invited with a guest of their choice.”

“It indicated to me that the invitation had already been sent out by the state,” Law said. “That’s who invites, that’s who notifies. I’m sorry, I thought notice was sent to your wife.”

McCurdy, unsatisfied with Law’s explanation, continued to explain how hurt his wife was by the inaction of the board.

“That was her one chance to be Teacher of the Year, to go down there and be recognized and represent this county,” he said. “She can’t do it again, it ain’t going to happen again. I know this may seem trivial to you, but this was everything to my wife. This should have been the highlight of my wife’s career.”

“I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility that someone owes Mrs. McCurdy an apology,” board member Margaret Worth said. “We all get busy and mistakes are made but I do think that it is important that we own up to our mistakes when we make them.”

“I always wonder, what does it take to break a great teacher, well, I know one thing that will break one,” he said. “She got up to go to school today because, as she said, ‘I’m not here for the front office, I’m not here for the board of education, I’m here for the kids. I’m going to go do my job.’ She said, ‘but I’m going to start looking for a new one tomorrow because I can’t work with these people if that’s the way we’re going to be treated and if that’s the way they feel about teachers.’ If I was the teachers of this county, I would come down here with pitchforks and torches and burn this whole **** place.”

Board president Kenneth Vance stopped him after that comment and said the board will do what they can to remedy the situation and told him he didn’t need to address the issue in such a manner.

Well, I not a teacher nor have children in school right now. But accident happened- get over it. How can you pick one teacher over the others. Not one-- but all the teachers deserved award for being at school everyday. If they do their job- the kids are the one that wins. Say sorry this happen here and the heck with it. Get a life. Teachers should be the first to forgive and show the kids a stupid award doesn't matter but they do.

The catch: No one is saying they are sorry!

I think this faux pas has many interesting aspects to it - the main one being that this BOE doesn't know its a-- from a hole in the ground. If they can't deal with an issue as simple as this huge honor bestowed on PC's BEST TEACHER IN WV by informing her she has been chosen and getting her to to Charleston for the honors, then I shudder to think how they are handling any really important matters relating to day to day schooling and education of the children. I would have thought that they would have invited this teacher to attend a Board meeting to allow them to congratulate her in person. Nothing would even have been made of it if her poor husband hadn't tried fruitlessly to get an answers or response from this Board. This is one for the books. Of course, teachers are all the best - No. Ones - every one of them but what a commendation to be selected for this distinct honor.
I remember - last year? - when these same people sent the children home when rivers were flooding and buses couldn't get through???? What are they doing that is so much more important than tending to school business???????? Just what is going on?

Think of the irony if Pam had also been chosen "Teacher of the Year" for the state and she didn't even know she was the Teacher of the Year for the County.

How can they be so upset when there's a chance Pam or Cully actually lost or misplaced their invitation? Why are they throwing all the blame at the Board?
Would you expect someone to apologize for something they didn't do?

Disturbed: Your name is well taken and self-explanatory. It is not beyond the realm for a BOARD (employer) to step up and offer some conciliatory words and take some responsibility for their mistake when they are caught- hands down - but not this one apparently. If they received word that this event was occurring, why wouldn't it have been first on their calendar the next morning to CALL HER AND CONGRATULATE HER. After all, as her employers - wouldn't they want to bask in the light also????? It sheds a good light on Pocahontas County Schools that they have a teacher chosen for accolades! Obviously not this BOE, they are to bent on passing the buck.
Nuf said.

To Pam & Cully:

On behalf of the Board of Education of Pocahontas County West Virginia on September ninteenth of the year two thousand and nine, I would like to extend this formal and public apology. We are deeply, deeply sorry that you did not check your email. As an educator we hope you use this situation as a learning experience and check your email more often.

P.S. - they are accepting applications in Monroe County!!!!

So the next time our football team or soccer team goes to state let's just send them an email congratulating them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

Ok Pocahontas County:

You are putting “Sully” on a pedestal as the greatest husband ever.

Hmmmmmm?

Let’s think about this. He could have told his wife about the email and made the trip to Charleston for her recognition but instead wanted to stage an event in front of the Board about the lack of recognition. “WHY”?

Would it not have made better sense to attend the ceremony for his wife and then address the Board on their mistake? This would have made the board look extremely incompetent and his wife would have received her due reward. Now because of “Foolish Pride”, his wife suffers the most by humiliation and embarrassment of the mistake made and berating her husband land on her “Employer” i.e. “Board of Education”. I wonder what the long term effects this will have on her?

Remember Pam, “Rewards” as a Teacher are measured by the life’s you touch and positively change in children’s hearts throughout your career not in income or certificates received. Keep your head up and Keep Believing.

Cully you should be an actor what drema what moves what speeking WHAT BS
How would you feel if the place did burn down?
Glad to see it was well arranged so Stinkwell Tater could tape everything and make such a big deal out of it when there was plunty of time to get to Charleston when you say you seen the email.

Glad to know that I'm not the only person smelling crap.

Norman, you need to send that video in and see if it wins an Emmy (Enima)

But it got results and results were what we wanted. The board agenda says that Pam McCurdy is going to be honored at the next board meeting.

It would never have happened without a little publicity. Etater just need to be there to shed a little "light" on the matter.

Folks, always feel free to let me know where the action is. I am reading, batteries are on constant charge, memory chips are formatted and waiting for action.

Thank you!!!!

The question remains, why did Cully deprive his wife of the Charleston trip?

If the Board owes Pam an apology, what does Cully owe her?

It does appear that Cully was more interested in grandstanding than his wife receiving her award.

I'm not saying the Board is perfect, but the main culprit here is Cully!!!

I think this was a big put on to make two men feel like some kind of heros.

I don't think the board ows anyone anything because there was time to get there.