The Department of Teaching and Learning supports the instruction Whitfield County educators design for students and helps to design the professional learning opportunities available to school district employees.

The faculty and staff of the Whitfield County School District are committed to using effective instructional practices that are non-negotiable in every classroom. Our goal is for all students in Whitfield County Schools to be successful because they will achieve at their highest level. Click to download these Non-Negotiable Classroom Practices.

We designed this site to provide convenient access to a wide variety of materials. If you are unable to locate information or materials important to you or need further assistance, please feel free to contact a member of our staff.

Teaching and learning team members strive to support our teachers and staff across all grade levels and content areas, working with their colleagues across the district to design meaningful, challenging, and engaging work for students that pushes them to seek improvement and achieve at higher levels.

Who is on the Teaching and Learning Team?

Led by Assistant Superintendent Karey Williams, the teaching and learning team includes directors in the areas of elementary, middle, and high school curriculum, and support for English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and world languages.

• Elementary Curriculum Director – Lisa Jones
• Middle School Curriculum Director – Amy Smith
• High School Curriculum Director – Tom Appelman
• ESOL and Title lll Director – Richard Knox
• Exceptional Student Services Director – Ruthie Rule

Lead Teachers and Coordinators

District leaders are supported by a network of lead teachers and coordinators across the district in the areas of Counseling, EIP, Fine Arts, Gifted, Health & P.E., and Media.

• Early Intervention Program (EIP) – Dee Goodwin
• Visual Arts – Susie Greer
• Gifted – Joe Barnett
• Health & P.E. – Lyn Douglas
• Media – Ge-Anne Bolhuis
• Counseling - Dr. Tracie Hogan 

Shanda Hickman also oversees the Striving Readers Grant for grades K-12. All of these leaders on the Teaching and Learning team work as liaisons to provide clear communication for their colleagues in the schools and deliver regular opportunities for improvement to teachers throughout the school district.

Instructional Technology Department

The WCS Instructional Technology Department's goal is to create educational experiences that are authentic and challenging for students. To meet that goal, students are given the opportunities to use various pieces of technology to enhance their learning experience.  Instructional Technology personnel work to support the needs of elementary, middle, and high school learners and teachers.

• Instructional Technology Coordinator – Pam Pettyjohn
• Digital Learning Specialist – Ge-Anne Bolhuis

Approved/Denied Software for WCS
WCS is currently working to get contracts in place with various software companies so that we can use their products and protect student data at the same time.  Click on the following links to view approved and denied software for WCS.
Approved Software List
Denied Software List

What is the role of the Teaching and Learning Team?

The focus of teaching and learning is to help teachers design meaningful, challenging, and engaging learning experiences for students.

Team members work with Human Resources to design engaging professional learning opportunities for teachers with relevant work, guiding them to curriculum resources that foster their development.

The Teaching and Learning team serves as a link connecting parents, schools, and the community because team members believe everyone plays a crucial role in the successful education of students.

Professional Learning Calendar

We are pleased to offer a district calendar for the purpose of scheduling and tracking professional learning events across the district. The calendar is titled “WCS Internal PL” is published on Google Calendar. To see the calendar and events posted so far, please follow the instructions below:

1. Log in to your WCS Google account before clicking on the link below! 
2. Once logged in, please click this link to add the calendar. If you need assistance resetting a password or gaining access, please contact Kristina Horseley or Pam Pettyjohn.