Toledo is College of Education’s ‘Instructor of the Year’

August 19, 2021

Courtney Toledo, clinical instructor in the Department of Elementary and Special Education, has been named the recipient of the Georgia Southern University College of Education’s (COE) 2021 Instructor/Lecturer Faculty Award in Teaching and Service Award. 

Toledo joined the COE in 2017, and serves as a clinical instructor in the dual certification (elementary and special education) program on the Statesboro Campus. Along with teaching both special and elementary education courses, Toledo also serves as a field supervisor for pre-service teachers across all levels of the program.

“Ms. Toledo has been a very important member of our department,” said Yasar Bodur, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Elementary and Special Education. “She serves future teachers in multiple programs and is known to be a very caring and knowledgeable teacher. Ms. Toledo is someone everybody in the department can count on.”

As a part of the College’s Professional Development Schools (PDS) initiative, Toledo also provides mentorship to teachers who are new to the career field at Langston Chapel Elementary School in Statesboro, one of five designated PDS locations. In addition, Toledo works with Langston Chapel Elementary to provide training and development opportunities for the teaching staff. In Fall 2020, she co-developed and led a professional development on co-teaching in inclusion classrooms.

An avid supporter and volunteer for education, Toledo has served as a Spelling Bee pronouncer for Bulloch County Schools, annual EdCamp moderator, volunteer for multiple classrooms for Read Across America Day, camp coordinator for Camp RAD (Recreation for Adolescents with Disabilities), and Special Olympics bowling coach.

“These activities have allowed me to become more involved in our university community as well as develop meaningful relationships with members of the communities we serve,” said Toledo. “Service is not only a huge part of my job as a non-tenure track instructor, but it is also something that I am passionate about. I have aimed over the last two years to incorporate more service activities that relate directly to my passion for supporting new educators as well as furthering opportunities to demonstrate my leadership skills.” 

Prior to joining the College, Toledo was a teacher in elementary and special education classrooms across Georgia. She earned a bachelor’s in early childhood education from Georgia Southern (‘10), a M.Ed. in Multiple and Severe Disabilities from Georgia State, and is currently pursuing an Ed.D. in Curriculum Studies at Georgia Southern. 

The Instructor/Lecturer Faculty Award in Teaching and Service Award, created in 2020, recognizes and rewards non-tenure track faculty who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of teaching and service. Non-tenure track faculty who have completed at least three years of service in the College are eligible for consideration. Evaluation criteria include consistent, successful service activities, diverse service, uncompensated service, evaluations of teaching, evidence of professional development, engagement in curricular activities, and collaborative work with P-12 educators.

“I feel honored to be awarded the Instructor Award for Teaching and Service,” said Toledo. “I am so grateful to my colleagues who inspire me and have supported me throughout my time at Georgia Southern. They push me to continuously improve my teaching, and I share this recognition with each of them.”
The Instructor/Lecturer Faculty Award in Teaching and Service Award is funded by donor support to the College of Education. Donations can be made to the COE Instructor/Lecturer Faculty Award in Teaching and Service Award by designating donations to fund GS4502.