Cleveland teacher named Southeast Teacher of the Year

A teacher from Cleveland City Schools has been named Tennessee’s Southeast Region Teacher of the Year for the third consecutive year.

Adam Moss, a fifth-grade teacher at Arnold Memorial Elementary, is among nine educators across the state now vying to be Tennessee’s Teacher of the Year, which will be announced this fall.

“There are so many amazing teachers in our region, and to be selected to represent them at the grand division and state level is very humbling,” Moss said.

Martin Ringstaff, director of Cleveland City Schools, said Moss is an innovative teacher and teachers like him are the reasons Cleveland City Schools personnel keep winning this prestigious award. There are 13 other school districts in the region.

“Cleveland City is one of the small systems in the region, and we are proud of all of our educators who are constantly pushing the limits and raising the bar,” Ringstaff said. “We try to think outside the box on how to reach kids differently, and [Moss] is an example of this.”

Arnold Memorial, where Moss has taught his entire career, is a historic school located in a downtown neighborhood. Because of its location, the school serves a diverse population of the county. Moss said he is proud to teach at a school that celebrates cultural diversity and that it has been valuable to his students and his teaching experience.

“I have the privilege of working with some of the most amazing and resilient students around,” Moss said. ” They are the reason we invest countless hours outside of the daily schedule. They really are ‘our’ kids.”

Moss has been teaching in Cleveland City Schools for seven years, and though he studied English, he said he has been known as the “math guy” at the school for years.

Moss leads the extracurricular math enrichment club at the school, which allows top-performing math students in the fourth and fifth grades an opportunity to work on complex problems that are challenging for many adults, he said.

After taking students to a math competition in Huntsville, Ala., Moss got the idea to host a math competition locally and has organized one at Lee University for the past three years.

“The organization and planning of this event is a bit overwhelming,” he said. “But seeing so many students come together – excited about math – makes all of the headache worthwhile.”

Teacher of the Year finalists have the opportunity to join Education Commissioner Candice McQueen’s Teacher Advisory Council.

“Seeking feedback and advice from our Teacher of the Year finalists is a critical step in ensuring that we are learning from and listening to teachers from all regions of our state,” McQueen said in a written statement.

Contact staff writer Kendi Anderson at kendi.anderson@timesfree press.com or 423-757-6592.