Lewis County Herald - Serving Hohenwald, Lewis County Tennessee Since 1898

Paula Dyer

Paula Dyer was recently selected as building Teacher of the Year to represent the Lewis County Middle School. She is currently teaching sixth grade math. Mrs. Dyer has a total of 22 years teaching experience. She has served as cooperating teacher for eight teacher candidates from Middle Tennessee State University, Martin Methodist College, and the University of Tennessee Martin over a variety of years.

In 2004, she was chosen as Fox 17 teacher of the week. In 2017, she was honored as being VFW district level teacher of the year and in 2019 she was chosen as Lewis County Herald teacher of the week.

Mrs. Dyer has had great success in her classroom by having her students to create an interactive notebook. This notebook serves as a study guide for support with assignments and tests. She believes that this type of notetaking/organization ideas has improved her students’ overall learning.

She also has her students to create a personal data folder. This folder contains measurable goals for each nine weeks, timed multiplication practice graphs and a variety of assessment results. This folder has guided her students in taking charge of their own learning.

For the past five years, she has been assigned the task of teaching one of the enrichment classes for sixth grade. She has her students rewrite children’s books as plays and then perform those plays for the second-grade students. She has been very active in the ELA literacy nights. She feels that the ELA literacy nights are a good way for parents/guardians to have a better understanding of what goes on during the school day and how to assist their child at home.

Dylan Crews

Dylan Crews was recently selected as building level Teacher of the Year to represent the Lewis County High School. He is currently teaching U.S. History and World History and has four years of teaching experience. Mr. Crews serves as LCHS assistant football coach. He also serves as Huddle Coach for Lewis County High School FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes).

Mr. Crews believes that you need to have high expectations for students. He also believes that students will rise to the expectation that you lay before them if you do not waiver. He uses different learning levels in his classroom. Students are presented with lectures which covers the auditory level, then they are presented a video which covers visual and finally the students will be presented a primary document/reading which helps students who learn better by reading.

Crews is passionate about history and that is one of the reasons why he decided to dedicate his life to teaching students about the history of the world. In his classroom they have a lot of group work where students are socially involved with each other. He believes that group work is important and that it helps the student to work on skills that they will have to use in life one day.

Dasha Lowery

Dasha Lowery was recently selected as building level Teacher of the Year to represent the Lewis County Elementary School. She is currently teaching first grade and has fifteen years of teaching experience. Mrs. Lowery was selected as district teacher of the year in 2018. She serves as coordinator of the Lewis County Elementary School’s Christmas Bazaar, Community Trick or Treat event and November Food Drive.

Mrs. Lowery has proven that through her classroom practices that she has high levels of growth for her students. She keeps her classroom organized and students on-task to facilitate effective learning. One initiative that she contributed to improve overall school culture to boost teacher and student morale, she began planning monthly activities that were fun for students and teachers. Soon the teachers began to build each other up through these activities.

Ms. Lowery is also active in the Literacy Night that is offered two times per year. This is an opportunity for parents to come with their child to school and complete different teacher led activities that they can take home with them to help their children.

Janet Mayes

Jan Mayes was recently selected as building level Teacher of the Year to represent the Lewis County Intermediate School. She is currently teaching third grade math/science and has 25 ½ years of teaching experience. Ms. Mayes has taught sixth, fifth and fourth grades in the past. She was an Adult Education Educator between the years of 1991-2002.

Ms. Mayes feels that with the implementation of the Mastery Connect program that her students are making great improvements in their math skills. She gives her students a pre-test before she begins a new standard. Through the pre-test she can check for prior knowledge. She likes this program because it is individualized, thus giving her a greater understanding of her students’ abilities.

For the past several years, she has served on a committee, in her school, called “Kruz’n for a Kure”. The committee is responsible for activities to help raise money for two children with a rare disease called Schimke Immuno-Osseous Dysplasia. She believes that demonstrating love and compassion toward others is one of her greatest jobs.

One of her greatest accomplishments is to see her former students who are productive members of society. She is proud of these former students for the positive effect they are having in our community and communities in which they now live. She is most proud of her former students who have become educators. She has had some of these students tell her they became teachers because of her. She is overwhelmed by the influence she has had over the past twenty-five years. She hopes to continue to impact her students and the future for many years to come.