Memphis educator awarded Tennessee’s Charter School Teacher of the Year

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - One Mid-South teacher was named the Tennessee Teacher of the Year for charter schools. He’s the second Memphis teacher this year to receive a statewide honor.

Eddie Walsh is a history teacher at Grizzlies Prep, but he’s also Tennessee’s Charter schools Teacher of the year.

“I think teachers have one of those professions where it’s easy to blame them for things going bad or praise them for things going well,” Walsh said. “It’s nice to have a consistent yearly thing where teachers are recognized across the state in different settings; charter public or private for the good things they are doing. "

In his 8th year as an educator at Grizzles’ Prep, Walsh has no plans on leaving the profession.

“As a teacher, I want to keep teaching,” Walsh said. “I think there’s a stigma a lot of times, we have that corporate structure that falls into schools where you think you’re supposed to keep going up and up and become the next admin but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the career of teaching and I hope to retire one day, still in the classroom.

Walsh joins Melissa Collins, a second-grade teacher from John P. Freeman Optional School who received TN Department of Education’s Teacher of the Year.

Both show the significance of educators in Memphis.

“We know all the hard work that goes into preparing those lessons,” Tim Ware, Grizzle’s Prep Executive Director said. “We know all the dedication to our families. we know the sacrifices that people make in order to make this place special, that’s why we are so proud of what Eddie Walsh has done.

As for Walsh, his work as an educator extends outside the classroom. He created an Aquaqutic Program for the school.

“If you’re someone at home that wants to help out with volunteering in any kind of way,” Walsh said. “Like you can help these kids without being a full-time teacher just as much as I can.”

Grizz Prep partners with Give 901 which has a membership program.

You can mentor students and give back an hour of your time or an hour of your pay every month to support teachers like Mr. Walsh.

To learn more, click here Membership — Give901.

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