Teacher of Year credits partnership

Dade County honors Matt Jelley

TRENTON, Ga. -- A "kids camp" was Dade County Middle School teacher Matt Jelley's vision of the future until the need for gainful employment made him look to a career in education.

"I thought I wanted to do inner-city schools," said Mr. Jelley, Dade's Teacher of the Year.

"In fact, I was pretty set on that coming out of college. I did an interim period at Calvin Donaldson (in Chattanooga) and loved it, and really thought that was where I was going to be," he said.

"I've thoroughly fallen in love with teaching, and it is definitely where the Lord's called me. I wake up every morning and I can't wait to go into work," he said.

In a visit to Dade County, he found a home for his religious and educational goals, he said.

PERSONAL GLANCE* Name: Matt Jelley* Age: 29* Personal: Wife, Kristen; daughter, Blythe Catharine, 4; daughter, Madeline, 2; and one on the way.* Something people don't know about me: "I'm a huge Clint Eastwood fan. I love to slip in an Eastwood line every time I get the chance."

He said he "was really taken with the 'Mayberry-ness' of the community."

"I felt I was called to ministry here in Dade County more than anywhere else, and I had an opportunity to reach out to some kids who have some really difficult home lives."

Mr. Jelley, an English and history teacher, said the recognition as Dade's Teacher of the Year sprang from his partnership with fellow teacher Tom Randolph and their work on the school's Project Synergy program.

Mr. Jelley, now in his sixth year of teaching, said he and Mr. Randolph didn't like the fact that so much student work winds up wasted.

"Tom and I were tired of teaching for a trash can," he said. "It's just like sporting events. If you weren't keeping score and weren't playing for anybody, what does it matter?"

Project Synergy promotes student work to the public by having them pitch the product of project-based class work to the real world. Students produce work based on real-world situations or needs and learn from feedback, he said.

His love of teaching has grown through the work, so that his immediate and long-term goals now are to stay in the classroom, he said.

"That may be a boring answer, but I'm sold, man," he said.

Mr. Randolph, now in his 30th year as a teacher, said they are a great duo because of Mr. Jelley's creativity and willing attitude.

His latest idea is to celebrate Earth Day by turning off all the lights throughout the Dade school system, Mr. Randolph said. Planning is still in the works, but Mr. Randolph said he hopes the idea blossoms into a statewide effort.

Mr. Jelley has had a "massive impact" on Dade Middle and will talk up Project Synergy to the Georgia House of Representatives in the next few weeks, Mr. Randolph said.

"He's very inspiring to his students and always creative in his thinking," he said. "The kids respond to him wonderfully."

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