Meet Houston County’s teacher of the year, a Mercer grad and former Army nurse
Editor’s note: This story is part of the Telegraph’s ongoing series celebrating Middle Georgians who work to make their community a better place to live. To suggest a future subject, email tperrineau@macon.com.
A graduate of Houston County schools and Mercer University, daughter of a immigrant and U.S. Army veteran with a background in healthcare and education, Crystal Tucker is used to working hard and helping others. It’s a skill set that shines brightest when she’s in her classroom at Northside Elementary School in Warner Robins, teaching fourth grade math and science.
“My goal is to show my students that their zip code does not determine their future,”Tucker said. “My job is to partner with them to pick them up and create a path to success. So failure is not an option in my classroom, it’s just when they decide to give up, we have to create a plan to keep moving in the right direction.”
The Telegraph recently interviewed Tucker, the Houston County School District’s 2020-21 Teacher of the Year, about her work, challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, and more. Answers have been lightly edited for length and clarity:
Q: How long have you been teaching?
A: I’ve actually been with the county for eight years. And five of that was as a [para-professional] in an interrelated classroom, so I would push out into classrooms and help students with special needs. And then this is my third year as a teacher.
Q: You’re the 2020-21 Teacher of the Year for Houston County schools. How does that feel?
A: I still have a hard time accepting the fact that this is real life. This is something that I’ve always dreamed up and have worked extremely hard for. This honor, I really just dedicated to my mom and dad; my dad emigrated from Vietnam at 16.
He sailed over here by boat and it took him 28 days. When he arrived here he didn’t speak any English. And he always believed in the value of hard work, and not expecting anything in return. I have always lived my life working extremely hard to help others. He’s just really invested that into me.
And that means that also that it’s never too late, because I am a non-traditional teacher. I was 27 and never even believed that I would have the opportunity to even go to college. It just seems too expensive. For me, I didn’t feel very smart. I didn’t do so great in school. And I didn’t even graduate college from Mercer until 2018, which was 13 years after I graduated high school.
This was for my children, to let them know that it’s never too late. This honor is for my students, to show them that their circumstances do not determine their future. I grew up in a home where I was the first to graduate high school for multiple generations and even go on to college. So you know, is this just to believe that you know, you can break any cycle and do something great.
Q: Your kids attend school in Houston County?
A: Yes, I’m lucky enough to have two amazing babies. I still call them babies, but they probably wouldn’t be so happy if I said that. Chloe is in second grade at Clovis Elementary, and she has an amazing first year teacher, Miss Maggie Johnson. And my son Payton is 13. And he is a seventh grader at Warner Robins Middle. They get so excited to go to school.
I wouldn’t have thought of placing my own kids in any other county, because I am a product of Houston County. I went through Kings Chapel, Perry Middle and Perry High. And I know the amount of time that our [school district] invests in everyone from top down. So I wouldn’t have placed them anywhere else.
Q: Does that motivate you, growing up in and being a part of the community?
A: Absolutely, I wouldn’t want to teach anywhere else. Because I’m from the county, I know the environment. I know what drives this county and what it takes to be successful. What motivates me is my path.
I haven’t always had a good head on my shoulders or determined to do even something with my life. I worked seven years at Chick-fil-A and thought that was gonna be my future. And I went into the military and thought that was gonna be my future. But the Lord definitely opened some different doors for me.
I’m motivated by my tasks in the military, and they always taught me to place the mission first. And I know the mission was different in education versus the military, because I was a nurse. But the mission for my students is that you know that they are my students, that I put the mission as my building and my family and to never accept defeat and to always let my students so that I won’t quit on them. And I have a goal for them and to be the very best that they can be.
Q: What do you envision for the future of Houston County schools?
A: For the future I do think that we’re going to do school a lot differently. I think our cleaning procedures are well in place. And of course, we can never become complacent, we can never become too comfortable because anything can change at any time.
You know, the COVID-19 vaccine recently rolled out into our county. So we were blessed enough to be able to have that opportunity to get vaccinated for our teachers so that we can protect our students and their families. I think that digital learning will be something that we can see more of. And I think that that’ll still hold a place in our county for years to come.