This year English teacher Pamela Alley achieved the Teacher of the Year award. Alley has been teaching for thirty-nine years in the county.
By Tiana Kelly
English teacher Pamela Alley teaches tenth graders about literature and grammar. In the past month she was awarded Teacher of the Year.
Alley originally wanted to be a elementary teacher because she liked helping her little sister with homework, but when she got to college she realized she was going to have to take an art course and so she the changed her decision to major in English.
Being named Teacher of the Year had a great impact on Alley.
“Teacher of the Year means that my students and colleagues think I do a good job,” Alley said.
Alley has been teaching English for thirty-nine years. She taught one year of seventh grade, twenty-two years teaching ninth grade at J.E.J.Moore, and followed to the high school to continue teaching ninth grade. When ninth grade was finally moved to Clement’s Jr High, Alley decided to stay and teach tenth grade instead.
Alley loves to teach tenth grade English. She thinks it keeps her young
“I listen to their music and I’m interested into reading their books [more] than people my age,” Alley said.
Now that she has won Teacher of the Year, she has to teach a lesson to administers in the county. As well as write several essays about her philosophy of teaching.
Marshall Dunn • May 23, 2012 at 8:03 pm
When I had Mrs. Alley as my English teacher last year, I learned more about why and how to analyze literature than in any other English class I can recall. She also found techniques to simplify the grammar rules that gave me a difficult time the year before. Because she helped me in understanding the class so much, I truly believe that Mrs. Alley deserves the award, and I am indubitably elated that she did.
John Shumar • May 23, 2012 at 7:54 pm
I am really happy that Mrs. Alley won this award. She was a great teacher for me last year, and her class was both fun and very professionally taught with comprehendible techniques. Mrs. Alley is not only a good teacher, but a good person who loves her students. No one else is more qualified for this award than Mrs. Alley.
Tasia Faulcon • Mar 30, 2012 at 7:17 am
Mrs. Pamela Alley was the perfect winner for the award. She is a very talented teacher and skilled in her craft. She helps her students understand all the material so that it makes sense to us. Without this online story, I would not have known that Mrs. Alley won the award or that there even was a teacher of the year award for High School.
Conner Stevenson • Mar 30, 2012 at 7:04 am
I think it is great that we are covering this. It is a great honor and I feel as if the teacher who wins it deserves way more recognition than they get. We should find a way to get them more recognition overall.
Jack Semrau • Mar 30, 2012 at 6:04 am
Go Mrs Alley! I had the pleasure of being her student last year and enjoyed every bit of it. She is one of the nicest ladies I have met and she really deserves this award. Happy for the students to have her for the coming year.
Faven Butler • Mar 30, 2012 at 1:57 am
I had Mrs. Alley’s class last year and I believe she is the best winner we could have for Teacher of the Year. Her class provided a challenge for us all, especially in literature, and also managed to be interesting. I enjoyed her technique of going over the novels and other short pieces of literature we read. She made sure everybody understood what she was teaching and was willing to help anyone who did not understand a theme, tone, or maybe even a grammar rule. She was truly a nice teacher and probably one of the best I’ve had in high school.
Chloe Alexander • Mar 29, 2012 at 7:36 pm
I am glad that Mrs. Alley was recognized for her dedication to her students. A student can really appreciate when a teacher actually cares about what they are teaching and that they want each and every student to succeed. So often do we feel that the teacher does not care about our struggles, and teachers like Mrs. Alley give hope and inspiration to try harder. This was a great story idea because she has affected so many students.
Melissa Tomlin • Mar 29, 2012 at 5:41 pm
Mrs. Alley is one of my favorite teachers. She deserves to be recognized and congratulated for her hard work and dedication. She is a great teacher that will do what she can to make you understand the information that she is teaching. She is such a sweet teacher and an all around great teacher.
Angela Poreda • Mar 29, 2012 at 5:36 pm
I am so proud of Mrs. Alley and her achievements. She is a wonderful teacher and i was very fortunate to have had her as a teacher. I hope many students get to have the same experience with her as a teacher that I was able to. She has really prepared me for Mr. Waugaman’s class and for my future. Thank you Mrs. Alley for all that you have done!
Michelle Williams • Mar 29, 2012 at 2:17 pm
It makes me very happy to see that teachers are recognized for their hard work over the years of educating students, especially one like Mrs. Alley. I was one of her students my sophomore year, and I can say that she was one of my favorite treachers I have had and deserves this award. She was always kind, thoughtful, and willing to help you with your school work. It is amazing that she has been committed so long to teaching, and it shows through this award and her teaching style. I was taught so much in her class that is much of the basis of my English skills, and know without he being my teacher that year it would not be the same. Congratulations to Mrs. Alley!
Stephen Brockwell • Mar 29, 2012 at 2:10 pm
I am very happy to see that this award has gone to such a great teacher, as well as a great person. She is one of the only teachers I have had that made things like sentence structure and comma usage seem simple. More importantly, she is her students’ friend as well as teacher. Mrs. Alley is more than deserving of this award, and I can say with confidence that she will keep up the good work!
Krystin Treglown • Mar 27, 2012 at 8:56 pm
Out of all the teachers at PGHS, Mrs. Alley definitely deserves this award. I had her my sophmore year and she is a complete inspiration. One of the most organized teachers I have ever met. She is competely dedicated to her work here at PGHS, and the head of the English Department. Still to this day I go and see Mrs.Alley and she is always warm welcoming. Not only a great teacher, but a friendly face to see when one is down. All around great teaher and all students appreciate her as a teacher. Congrats Mrs. Alley!
Alex Crowder • Mar 27, 2012 at 11:07 am
I’m glad that such a passionate teacher got Teacher of the Year! I’ve never personally had Mrs. Alley as a teacher, but she sounds like a great person to have. Congratulations! 🙂
Nelson Leary • Mar 27, 2012 at 10:08 am
It’s a good thing seeeing one of our teachers getting the Teacher of the Year Award, and it’s a bit interesting to see where she started and seeing where she is now. Hopefully she will get the award again next year, but if not I hope another PGHS teacher gets it.
Tyler Thompson • Mar 26, 2012 at 5:44 am
I am one of the many students at Prince George High School that has had the pleasure of being in Mrs. Alley’s class my tenth grade year. She was one of my favorite and most respected teachers. There are not enough good teachers in America today and rewarding exceptional teachers that have the dedication to educating students like Mrs. Alley does is a very good award that she deserves. Seeing the news cover this story is also refreshing in my opinion. Not just did she get the award and her name on the sign out front but she got properly honored in the school news. I like to see my peers covering important stories such as this.
Jordan Thompson • Mar 25, 2012 at 12:20 pm
What a delight it is to see that one of my favorite teachers has been honored as the Teacher of the Year for Prince George High School. Mrs. Alley was my tenth grade English teacher and she was by far the best English teacher I have ever had. She is an inspiring individual as well as a teacher and she really is passionate about her job and her students. What I liked about having her as a teacher the most was being able to connect with her and listen to all of her interesting stories, especially about Lady Gaga. I would like to send my congratulations to Mrs. Alley as this was a well-deserved award to a wonderful person!
Sarah Beth Howard • Mar 25, 2012 at 10:33 am
Mrs. Alley greatly deserves this reward due to her dedication in teaching. She is a passionate teacher and that is ever shining in her classroom. She knows how to prepare her students for the hard truth that junior year can bring the toughest courses in high school, and she is not afraid to share her passion for using fun things in lessons such as her plastic King Arthur sword that is her “pointer” in grammatical lessons. Also we have fun with her Star Wars toys when we are comparing King Arthur to the Star Wars saga. This helps us with looking at things with a wider perspective because it could be considered a stretch with connecting the two. However, when I do hear who wins, I do wonder what things are placed in consideration for this and how and who decides the winner. But I am quite happy that Mrs. Alley won. Congratulations to her and to PGHS for having such a wonderful teacher!
Olubusola Olanrewaju • Mar 23, 2012 at 7:31 am
Teachers deserve to be rewarded and acknowledge for the hard work they do. They are the ones that help create the lawyers, doctors and engineers and should be recognized for the hard work they do.
Amaya Ray • Mar 23, 2012 at 7:13 am
I didnt have her as a teacher, but I have always heard good things about Mrs. Alley. Her students that I have came into contact with are always talking about how she makes them think out the box when it comes to learning. It is good to see that a teacher that has had an impact on students is being recognized for her efforts.
Bradley Cooper • Mar 20, 2012 at 5:03 pm
Mrs. Alley was more than just a teacher to me last year, she was a role model. I learned so much from her discussion, and she always kept me interested. I am very gracious to say I had such an instructor that was so worthy of reward and acknowledgment.
Kenneth Kidd • Mar 18, 2012 at 2:26 pm
I could not think of anyone who deserves this more than Mrs. Alley. This award shows how much time, effort, and hard work Mrs. Alley and other teachers put into their job. I believe a lot of their hard work goes unnoticed and that is a shame. Thanks for covering this because I had no idea that I had the honor of being taught by the Teacher of the Year! She is one of my favorite teachers and I always look forward to English now because of her. Thank you Mrs. Alley for being an inspiring person and thank you TRN for covering this.
Megan Jonson • Mar 18, 2012 at 12:56 pm
I think it is so great to see the positive things that go on around our school! I’m glad that the newspaper decided to cover this because otherwise I would not have known who teacher of the year was. Mrs. Alley is a wonderful individual as well as an excellent teacher I am glad I had the honor of being one of her students. Prince George High School is lucky to have such a great teaching staff. Hopefully, because of great examples of teachers like Mrs. Alley, Prince George can continue to help and inspire students.
Matthew Schneck • Mar 17, 2012 at 2:59 pm
It is great to see that the Prince George administration is taking the time to reward teachers who put their heart and soul into their profession. I am proud to say that I had Mrs. Alley as a teacher and she is quite deserving of the award. The example she sets should be mimicked by more teachers so the high school could be a more proactive and productive place for students.