Donna Governor is a gifted-student science teacher at Liberty Middle School in Cumming, GA. Ms. Governor, an educator with twenty-four years of experience, has taught at Liberty Middle School for five years. She serves as the school’s gifted department chair and lead teacher in the science department. She sponsored the school’s first Family Science Night, a program now being expanded to other schools.
Ms. Governor’s students consider her class to be the most difficult class in eighth grade. A former student describes her as an understanding mentor, a creative educator, and a beloved teacher worthy of great respect. She motivates students to strive for excellence and seeks external audiences for students to showcase their learning. She brought in a musician who writes science songs to help her students remember the concepts. She relies on student assessment outcome data to help her adjust her teaching. She has also helped fellow teachers further the alignment of standards with assessment methodologies; other teachers view her as collaborative and a mentor.
Ms. Governor was a regional finalist for the Georgia Science Teacher of the Year Award (Middle School Level) and was a finalist for the Hallmark Elementary Teacher of the Year.
Ms. Governor holds Georgia certification in early childhood kindergarten through grade 5, gifted in field, middle grades science and math, middle grades social science and language arts, and English for Speakers of Other Languages. She has a B.A. in elementary and early childhood education, an M.A. in early childhood education, and an Ed.S. in curriculum and instruction from the University of West Florida. She is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in science education at the University of Georgia, Athens.