By Charlotte Underwood 

PUBLISHER’S NOTE: If there was ever a testimony on the power of a teacher, a parent and a school system, today’s feature is it. Thank you, Tiffany Logsdon, and to all those of you who teach, have taught and aspire to teach like my granddaughter – Jim Freeman

HABERSHAM, TN (WLAF) – Wynn Elementary’s Tiffany Logsdon is WLAF’s teacher of the week. She teaches fourth and fifth grade math and science and has been a teacher in Campbell County for nine years. 

Tiffany Logsdon is this week’s WLAF Teacher of the Week.

Logsdon said she had wanted to be a teacher for as long as she could remember. Coming from a background of foster care, Logsdon said she always felt “the safest” while she was at school. 

“I knew that at school I would always be able to eat if I was hungry, and my teachers made me feel just as important as every other child in my class even though I did not always feel the same way,” Logsdon said.

From kindergarten to second grade, she was in three different foster homes and in three different schools. 

“I was lucky to have wonderful teachers in each school. My second grade teacher told me I was smart, no one had ever said that to me before and I still get emotional thinking about how important her words were to me at that time in my life,” Logsdon said.

It was her fourth grade teacher, Mr. Flatford, who taught her to love science and math and “made learning fun.” “Mr. Flatford taught me that learning cannot be limited by the walls of the classroom. I grew up to be a 4th/5th grade Science teacher, and I only wish Mr. Flatford knew that I teach the way I do because of his fourth grade class,” Logsdon said. 

She was adopted at eight years old by a school teacher and raised to believe that she could be anyone she wanted to be, and that the past did not define her future. 

“I grew up, became a schoolteacher and I am the mother of three wonderful children, two are adopted and one is biological. I am raising my children the way I was raised, it doesn’t matter what your past looks like, if you want something, believe in yourself, and you can achieve it,” Logsdon said.

She said she has learned through all the hardship that God, her education, and her family helped her to get to where she is today. 

After receiving her Bachelor’s degree in elementary education, Logsdon went back to school while being a foster parent and earned a Master’s degree in educational leadership. 

She said she absolutely loves being a teacher and wants to instill a love of learning in her students. 

“I feel that I can relate to my students on many different levels because I understand the hardships some kids face. I want them to know they can achieve their dreams if they believe in themselves, no matter their circumstances,” Logsdon said. She said she loves being a teacher for so many reasons but mainly because she wants to make a difference.

“I hope to one day be the teacher at least one of my students looks back on and can say I impacted their life positively somehow,” Logsdon said.

She also said that while this past year has been very challenging, it has been one of the most rewarding years she has ever taught. 

“My students showed a resilience that inspired me. In August, my classroom was full of students ready to learn and eager to be back in school. Despite every hurdle, every challenge, every first that we had to deal with during the Pandemic my students still showed up, ready to learn. I am proud to be a teacher and so thankful for all the people in this county that helped make this year successful.” (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 06/17/2021-6AM)