Teacher won't apologize for being pain in the brain

Cathy Peterson is a pain in the brain to some students at Princess Anne Middle School.

One dubbed her "the lady who makes my brain hurt."

Peterson, who has been the school's gifted resource teacher since 2006, makes no apologies, however.

"My job is to help raise the bar for these kids," the Lagomar resident said. "Push, push, push and make them stretch.

"They need to have a daily diet of rigor. Without it, they won't become problem-solvers."

"There has to be some struggle," the mother of four adds. "Life isn't handed to you on a platter."

Peterson's insistence on "excellence, not perfection" for her students garnered her two recognitions this year.

She was chosen as one of school system's two Outstanding Teachers of the Gifted for 2008, along with Marie Culver of Holland Elementary School.

Peterson, 44, then went on to become the Region II Virginia Association for the Gifted Outstanding Teacher of the Year.

Kelly Hedrick, the director of the Office of Gifted Education for the Virginia Beach City Public Schools, said Peterson is an exemplary teacher of the gifted.

"The gifted program at her school has developed into a community of learners enriched by meaningful learning partnerships established through her exceptional leadership," Hedrick said.

Peterson was nominated by Princess Anne Middle School principal James Pohl, who described her as a "dedicated and caring professional" with a "never-ending stream of ideas."

"While working mainly with our gifted population," Pohl said, "she continues to reach out to various groups of students to share her ideas in an effort to help everyone reach their highest goals."

One of Peterson's most memorable projects this year included a mix of gifted and core eighth-grade students who researched the topic of genocide.

"Most of them thought that the Holocaust was the only genocide," Peterson said. There are eight steps to genocide, she explained, and she wanted them to learn how close the United States had come to the genocide of Native Americans and African Americans.

The students researched other countries, such as Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur, created posters and held discussions.

"We had a Socratic seminar," said Peterson, "that was very eye-opening."

Peterson was proud of the group's response and mature handling of the topic, and said she had positive feedback from parents, especially from those of the core students.

Peterson, an '86 University of Virginia graduate, also began another student project in conjunction with Tallwood High School's Ambassadors for Change program and Brandon Middle School.

The "Panthers for Change" are helping to raise $10,000 needed for a science center in an "internally displaced persons camp" in Uganda.

Peterson, whose mother and both grandmothers were teachers, seems compelled to educate.

"I love what I do," Peterson said. "I just can't see myself doing anything else."

Cyndi Kight, kightcw@yahoo.com