Houston gifted teachers given grants

Manoj Shah started the Houston County Education Assistance Fund in 2001.

Since its humble beginnings at Warner Robins High School with one recipient, the grant has grown to 31 gifted and talented teachers at both the middle and high school levels.

The Shahs moved to Houston County in 1985 and started their four children in private school. The family decided to switch to public schools and didn’t look back.

“I still think it was the best decision we ever made,” Shah said during the certificate ceremony Sept. 7 at the Houston County Board of Education central office’s auditorium.

Through his personal efforts, Shah has given each of the 31 teachers a $500 gift certificate to use in their classrooms.

“He’s doubled the amount of money just because he loves this school system,” said Mark Scott, superintendent of Houston schools.

Last year, the program gifted 15 teachers, three from each of the county’s five high schools, Northside, Perry, Veterans, Warner Robins and Houston County.

This year, Shah expanded the program to include two teachers at each of the middle schools.

The award’s first recipient was Pat Stanescu, a Warner Robins High School Advanced Placement social studies and humanities teacher.

Stanescu taught for 45 years, all with Warner Robins High.

Some of the teachers were talking about pooling money together to buy laptops for their classrooms. Some of the previous winners have used the funds to purchase lesson plans, video cameras and printers, said Jan Jacobsen, director of gifted education and Advanced Placement coordinator.

Mike Paalz, a social studies and world geography gifted teacher at Perry Middle School, said he hadn’t decided how to spend the money.

The challenge for gifted students, he said, is to try to keep up with students who think outside the box and to see them take what they’ve learned and take it as far as they can.

“Any resources are always welcome. It is always hard to predict what a classroom needs,” the 13-year teaching veteran said.

An honors geometry teacher at Houston County High School, Tammy Strickland plans to use her funding for technology in the classroom. She has considered graphing calculators or software to teach abstract geometry.

Now in her 21st year of teaching, she has seen the gifted program change throughout her years as a teacher in both middle and high school.

“There is a strong push for rigor and excellence that allows students to tap into their gifts,” Strickland said.

This story was originally published September 11, 2016 at 2:55 PM with the headline "Houston gifted teachers given grants."