‘We grow hope.’ Houston County’s Teacher of the Year on what inspires her and her students

For longtime Houston County Schools educator Bridgett Hunt, the new school year has brought an abundance of change, excitement and recognition.

Not only is she transitioning from a traditional teaching role to a new position as an educational coach, but just one week before the first day of school, the district announced Hunt was its Teacher of the Year.

Hunt has been teaching at Houston County Schools for almost 19 years, spending the first 12 years at the district’s WIN Academy alternative school, then at Thomson Middle School in Centerville.

But her journey to becoming a teacher was somewhat unconventional.

“I was a probation officer and I saw many parents that were my defendants that had students, and [I saw] what happens when you put the parents in jail,” Hunt said. “And a lot of teacher friends were telling me that there were a lot of kids who struggle. I wanted to do something to help the young kids not get into the system, and then it just so happens there was an opening and I was asked to apply and I did. So I don’t know who chose who, me or education.”

Hunt’s compassion and drive to uplift students is reflected in her teaching philosophy.

“I know this is going to sound crazy, but every child needs to know that you have more love than they have hate,” she said. “I know if you’re not in education, most people would not understand that, but that’s always been my philosophy, especially in an alternative school. And I’ve seen that it carries over [at Thomson Middle] as well.”

As a self-proclaimed “history buff” who has taught social studies and world history throughout her teaching career, Hunt is passionate about helping students understand the importance of learning from history.

“I know this is cliche and everybody says it, but it’s absolutely the truth: you repeat the same mistakes if you don’t learn from the past,” she said. “And [students] need to learn how to be productive citizens of society. They need to learn how to vote and learn how to debate and learn how to make decisions … and we teach them that.”

On July 25, just one week before the start of the latest school year, Houston County Schools held its opening session to celebrate the previous year’s success and look ahead to the 2022-23 school year. During the ceremony, it was announced that out of the 39 school level teachers of the year, Hunt was chosen as the district-wide teacher of the year. Talking about the honor she felt that day still brings up many emotions for Hunt.

“Winning teacher of the year was absolutely solidifying all the hard work that not just myself but the colleagues of mine have done,” Hunt said. “We have worked so hard for our students and I don’t think that I just won it for myself, but I won it for Thompson Middle.

“The administration has been just amazing in allowing us to grow as leaders and to implement things that are near and dear to our hearts for our students … My colleagues are the ones who’ve helped make this possible to be honest. And I was just so shocked but yet thrilled that I get to represent us all.”

Houston County Schools Superintendent Dr. Mark Scott said the district was “extremely proud” of Hunt.

“Each year, we look forward to naming our Houston County Teacher of the Year, and this was no exception,” Scott said. “Mrs. Hunt is committed to our mission of producing high achievement for all through continuous growth. She works diligently to ensure her students feel supported as they work toward their academic goals.”

Though she loved teaching 7th grade world history in her previous role, Hunt is excited to start her new position as an educational coach at Thomson Middle.

“I get to help teachers in this building have an opportunity to experience what I experienced on July 25th,” she said. “And to help support and mold new teachers and just help them to be better at what they do. Not saying that they’re not, but we can all grow, and just to be a part of their growth and help them to achieve everything that has happened to me, that’s the biggest passion for me right now.”

Hunt, who has an education specialist degree in teacher leadership and is currently in her dissertation for a doctorate at Kennesaw State University, is grateful for husband and two sons’ constant support.

“There are different seasons in a teacher’s career,” she said. “We step up or we step aside and some choose to step away. For some part of my career, I [stepped] aside because I had to raise my family, and then my boys became sufficient … And I chose to step up and go above and beyond and they have been completely supportive. Sometimes they’ll say, ‘Don’t you think you’re doing too much?’ And then I just ask them, ‘Is that the teacher you wanted?’”

Hunt is also grateful for her colleagues, who she saw work especially hard during the pandemic, and is proud to be a part of Houston County Schools.

“Houston County is ahead of the learning curve for implementing modern technology and professional developments for our teachers,” she said. “We can go to workshops hosted by these big huge corporations and we’re like, ‘We’ve been doing this for two years.’ So, you know you’re part of an awesome district when you can say that. They have many opportunities for any teacher or anyone in education to grow as a leader.”

As part of the campaign for Houston County School’s slogan, “Here, we grow…,” each teacher was asked to share what they grow through their work. Here’s why Hunt chose “hope.”

“Here, we grow hope, and why that became my theme is because students come with so much baggage,” she said. “And I think that if we monogrammed that baggage and take ownership in the students’ baggage, good or bad, then we instill hope and learning becomes easier and learning becomes fun. So, that’s just always been the driving force for me. If you can inspire hope, you can inspire learning. You can inspire a student to have goals and just to have that positivity in their life.”

This story was originally published August 3, 2022 at 5:00 AM.