By Ian Wesselhoff 

O n National Teacher Appreciation Day, May 5, future educators from across the state gathered at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta for Teach in the Peach Statewide Educator Signing Day – and 15 high school seniors in attendance chose Georgia College & State University as the destination to pursue their dreams of becoming teachers. 

This was the second annual iteration of the event, which was modeled after athletic signing days and intended to honor the commitment to education as a calling. 

Georgia College has about 120 incoming first-year students pursuing teacher education in fall 2026, Including those at the event, compared to last year’s 105. 

It’s different here: Education changemakers 

Anna White and her twin sister Addison, two first-year students on the pre-elementary education track, were among the several students that signed with Georgia College at last year’s inaugural Educator Signing Day. Both say that speaking with GCSU faculty representatives at the event only bolstered their confidence in their decision. 

“Alumni I spoke with before choosing GCSU shared how the John H. Lounsbury College of Education did an excellent job preparing and supporting them on their journeys to becoming teachers, and they spoke highly of the staff and professors as well,” Anna White said. “Signing with Georgia College & State University at this event was incredibly exciting and filled me with immense pride to become a future Bobcat!” 

This year, Georgia’s 2023 Teacher of the Year and GCSU alum Michael Kobito ('22) emceed the event. Alumna Holly Witcher ('01), the state’s 2025 Teacher of the Year, spoke as well. Witcher will also address this year’s College of Education graduates as the featured speaker at Georgia College commencement next week. 

“We want to be at the table, as they say. Have the visibility. We want to be part of the conversation and say, ‘We’re here, teachers, come to us,’” said Dr. Stacie Pettit, chair of the Department of Teacher Education. “I think just letting the broader community know that if others are thinking about going into education, that Georgia College is one of the common places that students will choose.” 

Bobcats make the difference combating Georgia’s teacher shortage 

Georgia is in the midst of a teacher shortage, with an April 2025 state report finding that approximately 6,000 teaching positions were either vacant or filled by teachers without full certification. 

At a time of high demand for qualified educators, Georgia College has prepared 1,043 new teachers – specialized across elementary, middle, special and secondary education – in the past five years, including 228 new teachers in 2025. 

Baldwin County Schools is one of the top 20 employers for new Georgia College graduates, and keeping talent in the area is exactly what the program wants to see. 

The Department of Teacher Education is also working on initiatives with nearby Jones County and Jasper County high schools to bring more education students to GCSU so that they can return and teach in their home counties when they graduate. 

“We want more of that. I think that’s exciting, because Georgia College prepares such great teachers that we want them to stay around here and be able to give back to this area,” Pettit said. 

Header Images: GCSU College of Education leadership attended the Teach in the Peach Educator Signing Day. Photos courtesy of Stacie Pettit.