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 The
Cobb County School District is proud to announce Mrs. Diana
Lossner of Pope High School as the 2005-2006 District
Teacher of the Year. Lossner was greeted by Superintendent
Jill Kalina, Pope Principal Charlotte Stowers, and
her family at a surprise assembly at the school Sept. 9.
Kalina praised the new Teacher of the Year, saying, “I am so
proud for Mrs. Lossner. She is truly a kid magnet and
deserving of this honor.”
A 27-year veteran, Diana Lossner began her
teaching career in the Knoxville, Tennessee area. She has
taught math and science to students at a variety of levels in
both public and private schools, but joined Cobb in 1985 and
never looked back. In addition to her service at Pope, she
spent time at Walton High and has moonlighted as a math
professor at Kennesaw State University and Southern
Polytechnic State University.
Mrs. Lossner recalls that, “My father
remembers that I tried to teach from the time that I was able
to talk.” She held steadfast to the pursuit of being an
educator throughout her years of schooling, with the support
of her own supportive and influential teachers. “Mrs. Davis,
my seventh and eighth grade math teacher, was extraordinary.
She made math so interesting and attainable. I was going to be
a math teacher, just like her, because she opened the world of
math to us,” Lossner said. After joining Future Teachers of
America (FTA) and spending time as a teacher’s aide in high
school, Lossner pursued higher education at Murray State
University, focusing on Physics, Chemistry, and Education. She
went on to attain her Master’s in Education in Mathematics
from Georgia State University in 1997 and is currently
pursuing a doctorate degree in Teaching and Learning.
 Diana
feels that her greatest contribution to the classroom is
“equipping students with the ability to solve any problem,
regardless of the difficulty, using a variety of methods.”
According to Lossner, helping students develop thinking skills
provides them with different ways to arrive at solutions,
which helps them not only in math, but also in other
disciplines. She also values the training and encouragement
she provides to her fellow teachers. In addition to being the
“go-to person” for mathematics, statistics, or calculator
problems, Lossner leads school and district workshops and
serves on the Statistics textbook adoption and curriculum
committees.
One particular thrill Diana Lossner gets is
when she sees her students from the past return to the ranks
as a colleague in the classroom. “There is no greater
complement to a teacher than to see a former student entering
the teaching profession and for that person to tell you that
he/she still has the notes from your class and is still using
them,” Lossner said. “That has happened to me three or four
times in my career and I feel that I am giving back to Mrs.
Davis when that happens. I was never able to tell her how she
changed my life.”
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