Tricia Weatherspoon
Middle School Principal & Director of SIMSS
Bachelor’s Degree, Business Management, Southern University and Agricultural & Mechanical College; Master's Degree, Middle Grades Education, Mercer University; Education Specialist Degree, Educational Administration and Supervision, Lincoln Memorial University
Tricia Weatherspoon started working at Georgia Connections Academy in 2013. Her favorite part of the job is “seeing the students excel and move on to complete high school.”
Why She Became an Educator
According to Ms. Weatherspoon, “As a child, I always knew I wanted to be a teacher/educator because I wanted to make a difference in [people’s lives]. Though I went to school and received a bachelor’s degree in business management, my career took me to [teaching adults], which is why I decided to go back to school to become certified to teach.
“What I love most about working with students at Georgia Connections Academy is that opportunities are limitless. … It warms my heart to run into, or hear from, former students and see what they are doing.”
The Online Experience at Georgia Connections Academy
“Online school and brick-and-mortar schools have a lot in common,” says Ms. Weatherspoon. “Some of the biggest differences are students attend class and complete work online and they have the flexibility to work at any time.”
The school creates a welcoming community, says Ms. Weatherspoon, “by having an open-door policy … we try to overcommunicate with our students, parents, teachers, and community stakeholders.”
What Families Considering This School Should Keep in Mind
According to Ms. Weatherspoon, Georgia Connections Academy helps prepare students for a bright future by instilling “essential life skills, such as problem solving, teamwork, and effective communication, [all of] which prepare our students to adapt to the ever-changing demands of the world.”
“The classroom has no walls and teachers can think outside the box when it comes to teaching the students.”
— Ms. Weatherspoon