A proclivity for science and a passion for helping students learn both in the classroom and on the athletic field have led one local teacher to earn an esteemed title.

Ryan Strickland has been named the Thomas County Central High School Teacher of the Year for 2017. He is a member of the school’s science department and coaching staff (baseball).

“It is a great honor to know what your peers think of you as a professional and to have that support,” Strickland said. “I was definitely surprised when I found out. The whole administration team was outside my class when they presented me with the honor and, needless to say, I certainly did not expect it!”

Strickland originally intended on a career in the medical field. However, he’s always enjoyed helping school peers and tutoring fellow students. In college, he had an opportunity to coach high school kids during the summer and said he knew his “passion was in education.”

“Knowing that I can have an impact on a person’s future and life fuels my excitement for coming to work every day,” he said.

Strickland holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Shorter College, a master’s in education from Berry College, and a specialist’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Valdosta State University. He is currently completing his doctorate in teacher leadership through Kennesaw State University. Also, Strickland is certified in Gifted and Advanced Placement education for chemistry.

A secondary science teacher since 2007, Strickland has taught physical science, chemistry, and physics classes to students from inclusion to gifted/honors levels.

“Science has always been captivating, and I love understanding the ‘why’ behind things,” he said.

Strickland is a member of the Professional Association of Georgia Educators, the Georgia Science Teachers Association, the National Science Teachers Association, the Georgia Dugout Club, and the American Baseball Coaches Association. He's been recognized for his past work both in the classroom and on the athletic field. Some of these honors include Most Outstanding Student Teacher by the Shorter College Education Department and, last year, Strickland was recognized by the Georgia Dugout Club as the Cliff Shelton Assistant Baseball Coach of the Year.

Strickland is married to wife Lauren, who is a speech pathologist with Thomas County Schools, and they have two young sons, Parker and Ryland. He has a combined 10-year history in education. His previous teaching jobs were in Floyd and Colquitt counties.

His most recent two years of teaching have been at TCCHS. Strickland said he moved from Thomasville after high school graduation but, once he became a father, he knew he wanted to return and raise his kids here. When the opportunity arose to interview for a teaching position at TCCHS, he took it.

“Being a part of TCCHS and this school system has been very enjoyable,” Strickland said. “This system cares for their teachers and their students. The community support for our students to be successful academically, athletically, and in all other extracurricular activities is beyond reproach. My educational beliefs and work ethic fits well with these expectations.”

Strickland approaches both life and work in the same way: “with full commitment and strong work ethic.”

“As an educator and coach, I believe it is my duty to help students reach their goals, whatever those goals may be,” he said. “This duty means more than just showing up and extends beyond the 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. work hours. There were countless people in my life who showed me the same kind of dedication and support, and I only can hope that I will have that same impact on people’s lives.”

Sophomore Tyesha Booker, 16, said Strickland is “one of the best teachers” she’s ever had.

“He is an awesome teacher, and he provides hands-on learning for everybody in the class,” Booker said. “He makes sure you fully understand the lesson he is teaching.”

Some ways that Strickland strives to make his classroom a fun learning environment include lots of hands-on activities using everyday items (like toy cars) to help “students connect to the world around them.”

Sophomore Emily Hiers, 15, calls Strickland “funny, nice, and respectful.” Her favorite part of being in his physical science class is how “he shows us he is happy to be teaching us and there are different ways to learn new things.”

“I mostly enjoy how he does many different things and not the same thing every day, such as labs and the notebooks to keep us engaged and organized,” Hiers said. “I also enjoy how he has many different sources to teach us these things such as the chrome book, textbook, labs, projects, and group activities. I would definitely say this is my favorite class of the day.”

The educator hopes his students “learn to take more responsibility for their learning and actions” through their choices and “that they learn the importance of being prepared and the value of hard work.”

“With these values, students can achieve goals that they set for themselves,” Strickland said.

Physics student Avery Barrett, 18, said TCCHS Teacher of the Year is “a great reward” for Strickland and “provides validation for his hard work and shows that he is inspiring students to learn and pushing them to work hard.”

“I enjoy having a teacher who turns our criteria in the classroom into projects and labs that deal with real-world situations,” Barrett said. “Learning becomes very enjoyable when you can relate it to the things that you encounter every day, and that is exactly what Mr. Strickland does.”

Todd Wilson, a previous teacher of the year and a member of the selection committee, said Strickland is “a passionate person,” which aids him in the classroom.

“I believe being a caring teacher is the secret to great teaching,” Wilson said. “You cannot be a great teacher without a passion for helping students learn and it’s very apparent Ryan has this quality!”

Strickland’s advice to fellow educators is to never “lose sight of why you became a teacher.”

“As an educator, you never know what impact you have on a child, and every child has the ability to learn or do something great,” he said. “For that reason, it is important never to give up on them, never to lose your passion.”