Teachers in Houston County kicked off the school year by presenting the Teacher of the Year Award at the Opening Session Thursday morning.
"I sat there for a minute and then the lady next to me was like 'honey, that's you,'" this year's winner, Kathy Releford, said.
Releford teaches third through fifth grade special education at Matt Arthur Elementary School in Bonaire.
Her nomination statement said she "believes love is a clean slate every day... forgiving yesterday and hopeful for tomorrow. Many of our students just need someone to show them this kind of love."
Releford said she is humbled and grateful for this honor.
She was an accounting major in college, then became a substitute teacher in Bullock County and fell in love with teaching.
Since then, she has taught deaf and special needs students.
"You get to influence tomorrow's leaders and politicians and future educators," she said.
Releford said she loves being a part of those milestones with her students that people thought they could not reach.
"From the time their child is diagnosed with a disability it's always they won't accomplish this, they won't reach this milestone, they won't, they won't, they won't," she said. "And so to actually be the person who can say, 'but look what they can do.' Those are big moments to me and so that's why I absolutely love doing what I do."
Releford says she learned to sign in her church. She wanted to make sure people who can not hear could still worship.
That skill transferred over to her 13-year teaching career.
"They're the children who honestly — I'm not gonna say need the most love — but they have the most unique needs of love and you have to reach it. And I absolutely love it," Releford said.
She will be taking that love back to the classroom, along with her new honor.