“We have such a committed group of students, alumni, faculty and staff, as well as the ability of the program to deliver students with the skills that are needed to help businesses grow and succeed in this economy,” Cathey said. “We have a great faculty and have really worked hard to identify areas where businesses need talent, and we want to develop students who are well-equipped to succeed in these fields.”

The MBA program recently has been top-ranked by U.S. News & World Report, Princeton Review, and Forbes, as well as by Poets & Quants, a composite of five major ranking systems. Cathey, who earned three degrees herself from UT, has been director of the full-time MBA program since 2008.

“Before I decided to come back to school for my Ph.D., I lived in Memphis and had a great job in market research,” Cathey said. “I loved the people and the company, but realized that I wanted more – I wanted to make more of a difference in people’s lives. I love teaching and getting to know the students and helping them reach the truly amazing goals they set for themselves.”

Cathey’s days are spent troubleshooting any issues, promoting the need for scholarships and strong career partners, and making sure students have a good experience. “We recently have instituted some outstanding fellowship opportunities for our students,” Cathey said. “The more of these opportunities we can develop, the more competitive we can be as a program in attracting the best talent.”

Cathey wants UT’s MBA students to graduate with new ideas, lots of new people in their network, and new skills that have prepared them to succeed.

Though her job comes with its share of challenges, such as making sure students become trained and well-prepared for their careers and making the program accessible for the brightest students out there, Cathey says the rewards make the hard work worth it. She juggles her job along with service to the community and spending time with her husband and three daughters.

“[I love] seeing the excitement that students have when they learn something new or meet someone that allows them to expand their professional network; the level of professionalism that so many of our students and faculty bring to the learning experience; and seeing everyone involved with the program coming together and working so hard to help these talented young men and women move forward in their careers,” Cathey said. “Our students and faculty are constantly pushing to take the program farther and higher, to expand our outreach and our connections within the community and across the world.”

Mari Brooks

Mari Brooks’ job sounds glamorous – she takes young people on European trips, teaching them about the language and culture along the way, and knows she’s made a difference by exposing them to different parts of the world.

But she’s not a tour guide or a travel agent – she’s a German teacher at West High School, and that’s rewarding enough on its own.

“I enjoy teaching every day, even the difficult days,” said Brooks, the 2010 High School Teacher of the Year for Knox County. “We have developed a large German program at West High, with over 150 students each year, and therefore added a second teacher. My motto is that we work hard and play hard.”

Before becoming a teacher, Brooks was a social worker, then spent years as a community activist for public education and health while raising her three children. She graduated from the University of Tennessee with a minor in German, and in 2001, the principal of West encouraged Brooks to fill an interim position in the school’s German department.

“It was a wonderful challenge!” Brooks said. “This experience showed me that teaching is half social work – how can you reach all students? What is going on at home that prevents a student from good performance? How does one engage a disengaged student? I discovered that teaching was a perfect combination of my interest in European history and culture, the German language, and working with teenagers.”

Brooks spent a year as a substitute teacher, then returned to UT to earn her teaching certification in 2003. She’s been West High’s German teacher ever since.

“It is especially gratifying when students change their attitude about learning history and foreign language,” she said. “Many students think that studying German will be hard or boring or a task to check off in order to go to college. My challenge is to make every day interesting and often fun. Partner work, games, technology and working outdoors keeps instruction engaging.”

Brooks doesn’t just teach grammar and vocabulary – she engages her students in lessons about culture and European history, often singing folk songs and pop music, showing videos of castles and medieval life, and watching German film clips. The students’ favorite classroom activity is the European food that’s brought to class every week.

But they learn a lot in the midst of all the fun – more than 20 percent of WHS German students score in the top 10 percent in the nation on the National German Exam each year, and half of them receive national honors.

“In June, I led my third annual European trip with 30 students and chaperones,” Brooks said. “History and culture come to life during these trips. Student perspective of the world is forever changed and broadened. We visited Germany, Austria and Switzerland, with a mix of city, village and mountain experiences.”

Brooks says being named the 2010 Teacher of the Year was a wonderful surprise.

“It is an honor to represent West High School, where we have so many dedicated and talented teachers,” she said.

Tom Brown

Tom Brown knows something important about education: If we want to improve our schools, we can’t continue to do the same thing and expect different results. It’s that approach to positive change that has helped Holston Middle School earn recognition as a top Teacher Advancement Program school, the only school in Tennessee to receive this honor.

“Receiving the Ambassador Award from the Milken Foundation is quite an honor,” said Brown, who is principal of Holston Middle. “TAP consists of the leading elements of educational reform. I believe that Holston Middle is a leader in regard to reform efforts in our state and across the country. The award validates the effort of our faculty to implement the TAP program with fidelity and great success.”

Brown has been a principal for 16 years, the last 10 at Holston. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee and his master’s from Lincoln Memorial University.

“I enjoy working with middle school kids,” he said. “I have heard middle schoolers described as ‘wanting to be different so they can be like everyone else.’ Middle schoolers are bombarded with so many social, emotional, physical and academic challenges. Think about the host of changes that occur between 12 and 14. It is not always pretty. Educators and parents need to be very patient with this age. We must always remember that they are watching and listening, and also challenging our
lead. I want our students to look back on this tremendous time of change and feel they were supported and loved.”

There’s no such thing as a typical day for a middle school principal. Brown’s days are spent juggling appointments and events, while also meeting the needs of Holston Middle’s 875 students and 75 staff members.

“I work with a very responsible and high-energy group who take their jobs seriously,” he said. “The leadership this staff assumes allows all the pieces to fit together in the best interest of our students. My job is to encourage, support, and set the direction for this faculty to achieve great things for their students.”

Brown’s biggest challenges include recognizing and meeting the important needs of students and faculty members. He aims to hire and support highly effective teachers who are committed to educating students.

“Everyone needs a champion to stand in their corner to encourage, support, advise, and sometimes pick up the pieces,” he said. “Parents, educators, and friends typically fill that role.”

The TAP Ambassador Award is given to schools that reach beyond their own campuses to assist other schools in their goals. This comprehensive school reform program combines elements of professional growth, accountability, and performance-based compensation to improve teacher effectiveness. Holston Middle received $5,000 for this award.

Knox County Public Library
is very pleased to announce
that Layla Kiffin is joining
the board of Imagination
Library in Knox County.
The program, begun by
Dolly Parton in 1996, sends books in the
mail every month to registered children under
the age of five. Knox County now has over
17,000 children enrolled, or 73% of the eligible
population, making it one of the most
successful urban programs in the country.

Layla Kiffin moved to Knoxville this year
with her husband Lane, who became head
football coach for the University of
Tennessee. They have three small children
under the age of five. “I am looking forward
to being a part of this wonderful program,”
says Kiffin. “Being a mother to young
children, I know first hand the magic of
reading with my kids. I’m excited about
sharing the benefits of reading to children
and encouraging young families to get
involved with this program.”

Imagination Library was launched in
Knox County in January 2005. At that time,
national research showed that 35% of
children entering Kindergarten were not
prepared to begin learning. In essence, they
were behind before they got started.
Pre-literacy skills such as letter and number
recognition, book handling, and
vocabulary building are developed
primarily as a result of being read to.
Imagination Library has been very effective
in encouraging young families to read
together and improving early literacy skills.
Over 700,000 books have been mailed to
Knox County children since the program’s
inception.

“Early childhood education is a key
component of the Knox County Schools
five year strategic plan to achieve our vision
of Excellence for All Children,” said Dr. Jim
McIntyre, superintendent of the Knox
County Schools. “Our early childhood
development efforts and the work that
parents do with their young children are
extremely important to kindergarten
readiness and success in school. The
Imagination Library is an exceptional
complement to these efforts which help
parents to address the developmental needs
of their preschool age children.”

Imagination Library is a program of the
Knox County Public Library. Funding for
books and mailing is raised through an
independent board of advisors. The cost of
books and mailing is $30 per child per year.
The Governor’s Books From Birth
Foundation supports 50% of all local
funding, with the remaining funds coming
from grants, individual and corporate
donations. EK

For more information about Imagination
Library in Knox County, please contact
Amy Nachtrab at (865) 215-8784.

Julie Thompson’s favorite
part of the day is hearing
excited kindergartners call her
name as she walks through
the halls of Carter Elementary
School. Moments like that make
Thompson proud to be the recipient of
the Value Added Achievement Award,
presented by the Education Consumers
Foundation.

“This was a career highlight,” Thompson
said. “Our school was ranked fifth in the
state out of 760 schools and first in East
Tennessee. Most importantly, it means that
we are doing great work for the students at
Carter Elementary.”

Thompson has been principal of Carter
Elementary for six years. She earned
her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in
elementary education from the University
of Tennessee and her Ed.S. in supervision
and administration from Lincoln Memorial
University. She taught fourth grade at
Corryton Elementary School for nine
years and was an administrative assistant
at Christenberry Elementary for two years
before coming to Carter Elementary.

“I have always wanted to be a teacher
since I was a little girl,” she said. “I had my
own full-size chalkboard and made my little
sisters play school with me in the summers.”

Thompson’s days are busy ones. She
typically arrives at school around 7 am and
greets the students as they walk though
the doors. Her days are spent helping out
in various areas of the school to make sure
things run smoothly, making the rounds
to classrooms, meeting with teachers,
addressing discipline concerns, returning
phone calls and handling paperwork. She
usually leaves school around 6 or 7 pm.

“I enjoy spending time in the classrooms
watching children learn and teachers teach,”
Thompson said. “The children make me
laugh every day with their conversations and
insights. I enjoy working with a great group
of dedicated teachers. They challenge me to
do my best each day.”

Being a principal comes with a unique
set of challenges, many of which are out
of Thompson’s control, such as building
maintenance issues and late buses.
Obtaining adequate funding to make sure
technology and materials are up to date is
also a challenge.

“We are fortunate to have a very
supportive PTO that works hard to provide
additional funding, but like most other
schools we have to be creative to provide
innovative materials for our students and
teachers,” she said.

Although the days are busy and the
challenges are numerous, Thompson
knows that the most important aspect of
her job can be seen on the children’s faces
every day.

“I love working with children and teachers
and the challenge of helping all children be
successful,” she said. “The children energize
me and encourage me to bring my best self
to school each day. I never know who is
watching what I do.” EK