First Lady Sandra Deal Visits Fannin County

BLUE RIDGE, GA – Elementary students were treated to a visit from Georgia’s First Lady Sandra Deal, wife of Governor Nathan Deal.

Mrs. Deal has made it her mission to show the importance of education and literacy. Having been a 6th grade teacher for more than 15 years before retiring, Deal now travels the state of Georgia reading to elementary school children in hopes of inspiring these young students to “work hard and never give up.”

The First Lady stopped at Blue Ridge Elementary first on Tuesday, September 5, 2017. She was met by awe struck first graders who had many questions for her, including “How did your dog die?” which got uncomfortable laughs from everyone in the room.

Deal took the time to thoughtfully address and answer each question before letting the children vote on which book they would like to have read to them. The children chose “Will Powers : Where There’s a Will There’s a Way” by Coy Bowles.

This book stuck close to the First Lady’s theme of hard work as it chronicles a little boy who was able to achieve his goals through practice and a strong work ethic. Deal “loves this book because it insists on practicing to be good at something.”

She kept the children engaged as she read. Asking questions after every page and allowing for the students to participate in the reading process.

Deal has been reading to students across the state of Georgia for seven years. She hopes to promote literacy and wants children “to realise that they have to do their part.” She went on to say that “it’s not just the teachers. Teachers can do all they can but the children have to do their part. They have to work at it.”

First Lady Deal started her morning reading to the students of Blue Ridge Elementary. She then traveled to West Fannin Elementary and ended her day at East Fannin Elementary. East Fannin Elementary marks the 763rd school that Mrs. Deal has visited to spread her message of hard work and the importance of doing your part to achieve a good education.