Mr. Nicholson has been teaching full time at Hayesville High School for 29 years! Now you may be wondering, how did he get here? After he and his wife got married in 1989, he was working as a school teacher at Calvary Christian School in Hiawassee, GA. The school was closed that same year, so he began looking for a new job. His wife took a job teaching foreign language at the middle school here, so he decided to begin substitute teaching and driving a school bus to try to get a teaching position at Clay County Schools. While he was on campus one day, he was talking to Kathy Penland, the superintendent’s wife. She told him that she was ready to get out of teaching Driver’s Education. Mr Nicholson then decided to get certified in Driver’s Education. After that, he was hired part-time to teach Driver’s Education and one Social Studies class. He did this for five years until he accepted a full-time position became available in the high school. 

For the past 29 years, Mr. Nicholson has taught World History, Civics and Economics, American History, and the new course Economics and Personal Finance. He continued teaching Driver’s Education after school as well as in the summer time for 25 years. During that time period, he taught over 2,000 students how to drive while riding in the Drivers Ed. car for over 12,000 hours, without any wrecks! Mr. Nicholson said, “I think I should be getting hazard pay!” He was also the SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) club sponsor during that time. 

Mr. Nicholson loves teaching, and when he was asked what it was he loved about it, he said, “What I enjoy most about teaching is helping my students be prepared for life after high school. I love seeing my students being successful in the classroom and outside the classroom in their careers. I believe that I have a unique opportunity to be a positive role model for my students. As a career educator, I am able to conduct myself in a professional manner in which I show my students that it is possible to have strong Christian values in the workplace and to treat everyone with respect.”