Media Specialist Emily Stewart believes educators have the power to affect an entire generation, and she’s not taking that responsibility lightly.

For the past five years, Stewart has been serving Buford Senior Academy, pouring into students in grades three through five with innovation, creativity, and love. When she was announced as Buford City Schools’ 2025 District Teacher of the Year, colleagues shared it was a title well deserved.

“She is probably the hardest worker in our entire school,” says Jenn Chini, Buford Senior Academy teacher. “She runs the school without really being seen, and she creates incentives that get kids genuinely excited about reading.”

Building a Vision

Stewart shares that she first discovered her vision for her career while shadowing a Media Specialist for her grad school program. “We were walking through the halls to accomplish a simple task, but along the way, so many people kept stopping her to ask questions, follow up on conversations, share successes,” she says. “This is what I wanted for myself. I want to be the person who is stopped in the hall because my colleagues know I am here to support them and value what I can provide.”

However, her colleagues are not the only ones who are drawn to Stewart. She has the same rapport with her students, and is often stopped in the hall for updates on their reading progress.

It’s in these moments that she knows she’s truly connecting with her students and succeeding in her goals. “I work especially hard to really foster that love of reading that will transcend what is required in the classroom,” she shares. “I want there to be such excitement and celebration over reading while they are at BSA that it is enough to carry students through the years when reading becomes more academic.” She believes that any student can love reading, and one of her main philosophies is to always celebrate the wins. Each student grows at a different pace — but the milestones matter, regardless of how big or small.

Inside the Media Center

After beginning her career as an English Language Arts teacher for middle and high school students, Stewart says that the transition into working as a Media Specialist was an adjustment. She missed the familiarity of the classroom, and missed the close-knit bonds of having a small unit of kids to call her own.

Now, however, whole grades of students have become “her kids” — and she continues to bring her skills from the classroom into the Media Center each day.

“I’ve been intentional with figuring out how to champion each individual student,” she says. “I’ve used these years to figure out who I am as an educator and how to use everything I am learning to help others around me.”

Stewart shares that the role of a Media Specialist encompasses more than many people might realize. She streamlines parent communication through school and grade-level newsletters, creates graphics for events, and supports teachers in reviewing novels for their classes.

One of the things she’s most looking forward to is continuing to be a part of Read Across America Week — a week fully dedicated to getting kids excited about reading. She’s excited to see the program evolve and become something everyone can look forward to year after year.

Dreaming Up More

Moving forward, Stewart says her vision is simple: “I just crave more. More collaboration, more celebration, more reading, more growing, more excitement. I want each student’s experience to be so incredible at BSA that they can look back twenty years from now and see a beautiful childhood that was foundational in creating future successes.”

She expresses her gratitude for her school and district, citing her caring, hardworking colleagues as the driving force in the success of their students.

“Never lose heart,” she encourages her fellow educators. “When there are days that feel really long and really tiring, take a breath, refresh, reflect, and restart. You are fulfilling your purpose and following the path you were designed to follow.”

By Grace Ann Johnson