Hometown Hero: Cherie Goldman

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - A reserved parking spot at work was a pretty good prize for Georgia’s 2022 State Teacher of the Year.

But for Cherie Goldman, of Savannah’s Hesse School, the perks of the past year keep getting better.

“It’s going to be pretty overwhelming and pretty exciting. I think there’s going to be a lot of adrenaline,” said Goldman.

You would expect nothing less from college football’s National Championship Game.

The College Football Playoff Foundation has flown Goldman and each state’s Teacher of the Year to Los Angeles and will honor them on the field when Georgia plays TCU Monday night in SoFi Stadium.

“My understanding is they are going to have us come down to the field during the pregame and introduce the state teachers of the year to the crowd. I think we’re coming out of the tunnel, which will be pretty amazing.

Knowing about the invitation changed the way the English as a Second Language teacher watched the CFP semifinals last weekend.

“We were definitely sitting on the edge of our sofa. And it changed what I packed. My whole bag is red and black now. We were just excited to get to go to the game and then when it became this reality that it’s Georgia, it took it to a whole other level.”

The teachers are participating in additional training sessions while in Los Angeles…

“There’s a professional development day for us and various events just to celebrate teachers.’’

… and they will be wrapping up their time as a group together.

“It will be the last event we will do as a national cohort and so I think there will be all kinds of emotions involved because it has been a pretty overwhelming and indescribable year. I think it’s definitely a capstone.”

And maybe a highlight of a year when she and the Bulldogs both enjoyed a lot of highs.

“I greatly appreciate them doing this and acknowledging the hard work of educators and how educators support families and students and communities. Because what teachers do is indispensable to our communities and I greatly appreciate the acknowledgement and them inviting us to be representatives of our colleagues.”

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