Throughout the month of October, we will be introducing you to the 2022-2023 Glynn County Teachers of the Year.
Paige Browning was named Teacher of the Year at Glynn Academy and is one of five finalists in the running for the Glynn County Teacher of the Year. (She has taught for 29 years and currently teaches 11th grade AP Language and Composition). Here are some awesome things you should know.
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Family: I have been married to my husband Kurt Browning for the past 23 years, and we have one child who is named Beau. Beau is in his first year of college at Mercer University. I also have two nieces that I call my own, Cameron Anderson who is 23 and in nursing school in Augusta and Maddie Anderson who is 21 and a senior at Georgia Southern University. My parents are Buddy and Linda Knight, of Brunswick, and Mike and Jarris Priester, of Jesup. I have one sister, Kim Anderson, and multiple step-siblings.
Who is your role model? My role model in teaching was an English teacher at Glynn Academy in the 1980s; she was my American Literature teacher my junior year and my AP Literature teacher my senior year. I walked into college the following year knowing what I wanted to be, which was exactly what Ms. Murphy had been for me. I had always been a reader, but she inspired me to recognize the beauty of our language, to open my eyes to everyday wonders, and to consider the plight or fortune of those around me. Trying to follow Ms. Murphy’s example is a daunting task. She will forever be Gatsby’s “green light” that I attempt to grasp and never quite do. I walked into the classroom and began my career because of her, but I continue to walk through those doors, year after year, because of my students.
What book has most influenced you? Asking me to choose one book that has influenced me is like asking me to choose a favorite child; it’s almost impossible. I can pinpoint when I first fell in love with reading, and the book that set my love of reading in motion. It was a book titled Runaway Slave: The Story of Harriet Tubman by Ann McGovern. It was part of my 3rd grade teacher’s library, and I wanted to own it. . . or steal it, I’m not sure. I just remember being completely moved by the story and not wanting to let it go.
What is your greatest teaching memory? The greatest teaching moments for me occur when a student has had a strong reaction to a book, in the sense that he or she is moved to tears or to anger or to understanding. A few years ago, I was teaching The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver to a group of seniors. One morning before school, a young man named Fran T. came in and threw the book down on the floor, declaring, “I’m not reading any more of this.” When I questioned what the problem was, he stated, “They killed off Ruth May [the most beloved character], and I just can’t go on with it.” I LOVED coaxing him back into the novel by explaining that his visceral reaction was exactly what the author intended. We’re supposed to feel that attachment, that connection to our characters so that it can grow us.
What is your favorite quote or personal motto? I often feel that being an educator is “fighting the good fight,” against a myriad of obstacles. A scripture that I cling to is 2 Timothy 1:7: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of sound mind.” Lastly, I love Harper Lee’s quote: “The book to read is not the one that thinks for you, but the one which makes you think.”
What is a fact about you that most people don't know? I'm tall on the inside.
Any hidden talents or hobbies? I love reading, walking and scrapbooking.