Mock named Teacher of the Year

Moments after she was named the Aiken County School District Teacher of the Year Monday, Nikki Mock asked every teacher at the awards banquet to stand up and be recognized for their work with their kids.

The effervescent Mock teaches fifth grade at Hammond Hill Elementary School in North Augusta - next door to Robin Patterson, the 2007 winner.

All the school-based teachers of the year were honored at the banquet, sponsored by Public Education Partners and several corporations and other organizations.

Beth Eberhard, an Aiken Elementary School fifth-grade teacher, received the "Champions" technology award from PEP.

She and Mock were joined on the Honor Court by Linda Harmon, Aiken High School; Suman Marks-Johnson, North Augusta High School; and Esther Blake, Chukker Creek Elementary School.

Mock originally received a communications degree from USC Aiken and while in college, did an internship at the Aiken Standard in 2001.

"All the stories I would get assigned to were kid-related or geared to schools," Mock said. "I realized I liked that."

She returned to school to get teacher certification and also has a master's degree in elementary school from Southern Wesleyan University.

Mock is a big fan of Walt Disney, said Michele Conner, the district's elementary education director. She cited a quote from Mock's philosophy of education.

"There are more rewards in one day of teaching than in one year of a 'normal job,'" Mock wrote. "I have found my Magic Kingdom, and each day my Mousketeers and I learn that if we can dream it, we can do it."

Rosemary English, the acting Board of Education chair and a former teacher of Eberhard, welcomed all the teachers of the year at the banquet.

"Thank you for allowing us to share an evening as star teachers," she said. "Teaching is not just a job, but a human service. You think of it as a mission, a calling. You bring great love and commitment to the noblest profession."

The outgoing district teacher of the year, Aiken High's Lisa Lader, said she is grateful for the opportunity over the past year to meet great teachers throughout the district and the state.

"This state is filled with teachers who are enthusiastic and dedicated through every day to improve lives," Lader said.

She drew knowing laughs when she mentioned that the teachers of the year were undoubtedly worrying about the next school day, perhaps concerned about a student who may be a little lost in class.

"You do that because you can't help it," Lader said. "In your souls through and through, you are teachers. Try and be present in the moment. Give yourselves permission to enjoy what you're experiencing tonight."

Bridgestone provided a video, featuring students of each of the five Honor Court teachers. Harmon's students described her as a second mother who prepares them for life lessons.

Blake's first graders said she watches out for them - and also has pretty eyes and pretty clothes.

In 2005 Mock received the Outstanding Student Teacher Award from the S.C. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. She is also a Golden Apple winner.

In her application, Mock wrote that learning to read is one of the greatest gifts that children can receive. She encourages this through her teaching efforts and encouragement and also her actions. For the past four years, Mock has volunteered at the Nancy Carson Library's "Tea on the Avenue."

"Each year," she wrote, "I assume the identity of a different book character and entertain children of all ages - encouraging them to read, stimulating conversation about favorite books and asking children what they like best about reading. It was been one of the greatest joys for me..."

Eberhard has 19 years teaching experience. She earned a B.A. in early childhood education from the University of South Carolina and also holds a Master's Degree in elementary education from USC.

In 2009 the Ruth Patrick Science Education Center presented Eberhard with the "Spirit of Ruth Patrick" award, given "in recognition for her teaching and infusing her passion for science, mathematics and technology." A year earlier, Eberhard received the CSRA Environmental Educator of the Year award from the CSRA Environmental Science Education Cooperative.

One accomplishment in the past year almost brought Eberhard to tears. As she described in her application, she was greeted on a Monday by one of her fifth graders, a mediocre student at best. He told her how he couldn't wait for the weekend to end so he could find out what she was going to teach in social studies.

"I had turned a child on to learning," Eberhard wrote. "I, like my parents before me, had made a difference. My hands trembling... I gave him a huge hug."

Contact Rob Novit at rnovit@aikenstandard.com.