Education
Education

First-year Gwinnett County teacher talks about classroom challenges

First-year teacher Audrey Smith gathers her students together a final time before lining them up to head to the buses on the last day of school at Baldwin Elementary School on Wednesday, May 24, 2017, in Norcross. Curtis Compton/ccompton@ajc.com

Credit: Curtis Compton

Credit: Curtis Compton

First-year teacher Audrey Smith gathers her students together a final time before lining them up to head to the buses on the last day of school at Baldwin Elementary School on Wednesday, May 24, 2017, in Norcross. Curtis Compton/ccompton@ajc.com
By
May 30, 2017

Gwinnett County teacher Audrey Smith just finished her first year leading a class of students.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution followed Smith’s first year as a teacher. We asked her at the start of the school year what would be the greatest challenges and a similar question on the last day of school.

Here’s her answer on the first day of school in August 2016:

Here’s Smith’s answer on Wednesday, the last day of school:

About the Author

Eric Stirgus joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2001. He is the newsroom's education editor. Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Eric is active in the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists and the Education Writers Association and enjoys mentoring aspiring journalists.

Follow Eric Stirgus on twitter
More Stories

Keep Reading

Students line up after school for school buses at Sequoyah Middle School in Doraville on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. The school’s principal told teachers not to talk to students about ICE, and teachers and activists are pushing back. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

DeKalb students raise fears about ICE raids; teachers told not to talk about it

The Sequoyah Middle School community asked DeKalb school officials to better support students who fear ICE.

OPINION

AI is essential to helping our teachers plan for success

For educators, the question is no longer whether AI will influence schools, but how we leverage it to strengthen teaching, learning, leading and operations.

Druid Hills High modernization plan gets green light after years of debate

The estimated cost for the long-awaited project is up to $185 million.

The Latest

Students line up after school for school buses at Sequoyah Middle School in Doraville on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. The school’s principal told teachers not to talk to students about ICE, and teachers and activists are pushing back. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

DeKalb students raise fears about ICE raids; teachers told not to talk about it

OPINION

AI is essential to helping our teachers plan for success

Druid Hills High modernization plan gets green light after years of debate

Featured

Georgia and Florida wildlife officials work to disentangle right whale No. 5217, called Division, off St. Simons Island on Dec. 4. (Courtesy o Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute)

Credit: Special

Two-day effort helps free endangered right whale off Georgia coast

Georgia state officials helped disentangle a North American right whale, one of the most endangered whales on the planet.

Report: Election board member violated conduct code by going to Trump rally

A Georgia Inspector General's report found State Election Board Vice Chair Janice Johnston violated the board's code of conduct by attending a Donald Trump campaign rally.

Waymo cars ignored stopped school buses in Atlanta. What happens now?

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation. The autonomous vehicle company has issued a software recall.