New School Year Brings New Title for ESOL Instructor
Little did Elizabeth Goff know that meeting a retired Cobb County principal and her grandson on a bus at Disney World more than 20 years ago would lead to her winning one of the highest honors a teacher can receive.
While on the bus, the retired principal, Mary Anderson, encouraged the aspiring educator to apply for a job at the Cobb County School District. Before she knew it, Goff had landed a kindergarten teaching position at Hayes Elementary School in Kennesaw, where Anderson’s grandson just happened to be a kindergartner.
Two decades later, Goff is teaching English to speakers of other languages at Bells Ferry Elementary School, where she received a special visit from Superintendent Chris Ragsdale in mid-August.
The leader of Georgia’s second-largest school district surprised her — in front of cheering students, fellow educators, her husband, Justin, and her sister and brother-in-law, Katie and Michael Stone — with the announcement that she had been named the school district’s Teacher of the Year (TOTY) for 2023.
“I was very emotional,” said Goff, who also has three children who couldn’t attend. “It was so beautiful and touching to me to look out and see the children smiling up at me, cheering — just beautiful. My colleagues have showered me with so much love and kindness. I teach in an incredible school and district. It was a moment I won’t forget, ever!”
Working as an elementary teacher, Goff recognized the needs of students learning English as a second language. At Bells Ferry, she teaches children from 29 language backgrounds. But she does not work with students for a single school year and then bid them farewell; she works with some of them throughout their elementary school journey.
“We have really long-term relationships with students and families and multiple siblings,” the Marietta resident said. “It’s the best job. I love working with children. Getting a chance to really focus on my instruction with children, developing those relationships over time and getting a chance to watch them progress is incredible.”
The 21-year educator advises new teachers to focus on building relationships at their school.
“Build those relationships, number one, with your students,” she said. “Take time to build relationships with your colleagues, work to get to know one another, share your strengths and collaborate. All those things are really important for success in your first year and going forward.”
As a student, Goff loved everything about school, which led her to become a teacher. She wants her students to have that same love of learning and to enjoy school as much as she did.
“School was a special place for me,” she said. “I had a lot of great memories from school. I never forget my teachers. When I think about what I’m trying to do for my students, I hope that the lessons that I teach, they take them and keep them forever.”
In late July, when Cobb County teachers returned to their classrooms to prepare for the new school year, Ragsdale surprised Goff, along with Annelisa Bellack from Awtrey Middle and Suzette Spinelli from Lassiter High, with the news that they’d been selected the TOTY for the three school levels.
“This is one of my favorite days of the school year,” Ragsdale said. “I always look forward to welcoming our teachers back and recognizing the outstanding educators who make Cobb Schools the best place to teach, lead and learn.”
At Lassiter, 48-year teaching veteran Spinelli was at a loss for words when the superintendent told her the exciting news.
“This was the last thing I expected,” the art teacher said. “It’s just surreal to me.”
Spinelli has been named TOTY before at Simpson and Daniell middle schools, but this is her first selection as a district-level winner. She has been teaching in Cobb County since 1983 and loves being at Lassiter.
“Lassiter is where I found my home,” the Kennesaw resident said. “The administration is great because they support us and make sure all the students excel. They make them go higher, and that’s what I promote in my classroom. I make them go to higher levels, even though they’re not comfortable there.”
Great teachers run in the Spinelli family. Chalker Elementary’s 2022 TOTY was Cara Smith, Spinelli’s daughter.
“We thought it would be great for us to be Teachers of the Year at the same time,” Spinelli said. “She won last year, so we missed by a year, but that’s OK.”
At Awtrey, Bellack has had close ties with a district-level winner. Derrick Tucker, a fellow social studies teacher, was Cobb’s Middle School TOTY in 2022.
“I worked with Derek, and the two of us have been in the trenches for a while, and we were a great team,” she said.
Bellack, who lives in Acworth, loves being a teacher in Cobb.
“I love the people here,” the sixth-grade social studies teacher said. “I love that Cobb invests in the teachers. I love all the different ways Cobb supports us.”
As for her favorite moments of being an educator, Bellack reflected on the long-term aspect of her job.
“I love the aha moment when kids get it,” she said. “I love the critical thinking. I love the skills that they come away with. I love seeing them out in public later on and seeing how they’ve grown up and how they’ve changed, how it comes full circle. It’s such a neat thing to be able to see kids grow.”
Goff was shocked when Ragsdale made the Elementary School TOTY announcement at Bells Ferry, where she’s taught for eight years.
“It was hard to think straight,” she said. “I was very surprised and honored to look out and see the faces of my peers smiling and clapping for me. It was the greatest honor. I’m so grateful to be working with such amazing people.”
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