Every year, the staff at Chamblee High School vote for a teacher who has been working hard and deserves recognition as Teacher of the Year. This year, Dr. Mary Wagner holds the title. Many past students agree that she is very well deserving of this title, and she is very grateful to be named Teacher of the Year. This year, Wagner celebrates her eighth year at Chamblee High School. During her time, she has taught biology, AP Biology, physics, and a semester of chemistry.
Prior to teaching, Wagner worked as an assistant professor at Emory but decided to rethink after it was not the job she had hoped for.
“While I loved the research, I spent most of my time chasing grant money which took away from what I love, which is science,” said Wagner. “After a lot of soul searching, I ended up at Georgia State and got my Master of Arts in Teaching degree then came to Chamblee!”
When Wanger first received the news that she had won Teacher of the Year, she was honored.
“It’s a really amazing thing to be elected by your peers,” said Wagner. “By people who see you and recognize the work that you’re doing. So I really appreciate it.”
For Wagner, being Teacher of the Year means that she is among the other incredible teachers who have previously been awarded Teacher of the Year.
“I’m up against some really great teachers, and I’m in really good company. I mean, to have Miss Nesbitt handed over to me is amazing. So I really appreciate the company that then puts me in,” said Wagner.
When asked about other teachers deserving of Teacher of the Year, Wagner couldn’t pick just one of her peers.
“That’s really hard… I think Miss Adam and Miss Warren would be amazing. I think they both are overdue for it. They both put in long hours and do great things in their classroom. Also, Dr. Zuehlke is amazing… She shares so willingly with everybody around her… There are tons more. That’s a mean question,” said Wagner.
After hearing what students, current and past, had to say about Wagner, it is very clear that this award was well deserved.
“She’s a great teacher,” said past student Vera Kurbatova (‘27). “She’s awesome. She’s super. And I love biology. And I love Dr. Wagner.”
Students also enjoyed Wagner’s teaching style, how she encouraged group work and discussion, and how easy she was to speak with when they needed assistance.
Senior Charlotte Freymann (‘25) thinks back to her sophomore year with Wagner.
“She was very organized and gave clear instructions, which was very conducive to our understanding of the topics and our learning in general,” said Freymann.
Julie Wang (‘25) also enjoys aspects of Wagner’s teaching style in AP Biology.
“I really like the pogils she has us do. We work at our own pace, and they really emphasize certain details about what we’re learning, and it gets the information in our heads. I like that,” said Wang.
It is clear that Wagner is well-liked and appreciated by her fellow peers and students. She works hard, respects her students, and does her best to teach her students and help them fully understand the material.
“She was so nice,” said Hawa Khan (‘27). “She’d always come up to us and ask if [we] had any questions. And if we did have questions, she would always answer them. She was the best.”
