Newton County Schools (NCS) 2026 Teacher of the Year, Dr. Quinita Morrow, describes her teaching style as untraditional. 

Rather than communicating with students through email or teaching from a textbook, Morrow uses social media to talk with students and prioritizes real-world learning experiences.

“I tell people, ‘I meet my kids where they are, not where I expect them to be,’” Morrow said.

Morrow has taught marketing at Alcovy High School since July 2022. She previously taught in NCS from 2007-17 at Newton High School before spending 2017-22 at Luella High School in Henry County.

Inspired by her high school business communications teacher Ms. Marshall, Morrow desired to impact students in the same way Ms. Marshall did for her. 

“You don’t have to be a medical doctor to save lives,” Morrow said. “I mean, I save lives every single day.” 

Morrow creates a safe space for her students to fail. She wants her students to make mistakes in the classroom before they step out into the real world. 

“It’s okay [if] you don’t know what you want to do with your life,” Morrow tells her students. “It’s okay, you have the time.” 

To effectively teach marketing, Morrow uses Instagram as her main form of communication with her students. They follow Morrow’s “school only” account to not only communicate with their teacher and peers through direct message (DM), but to keep up to date on class happenings. 

Morrow will post class-related content on the account as well as assignment reminders on stories. 

“Once again, I’m meeting them where they are, and where they are is on social media,” Morrow said. 

Morrow says her favorite part about utilizing social media is that it provides a space for the kids who are normally scared to speak up during class to ask questions. 

Inviting guest speakers into the classroom is another untraditional teaching method she employs. 

Throughout the school year, Morrow welcomes a diverse mix of professionals such as business owners, entertainers and athletes into her classroom. By doing this, she believes she is able to better engage her students. 

Morrow says her students are more likely to listen to someone who is living the lifestyle that they desire to pursue.

The time Morrow dedicates to building connections with industry professionals for her students does not go unnoticed. 

Dr. Tim Schmitt, director of CTAE and workforce innovation for NCS, says he is most impressed with her ability to foster these relationships.

“That level of connection between the outside world and the students is what, I think, really sets Dr. Morrow apart from the rest,” Schmitt said.

One of Morrow’s favorite memories at Alcovy came out of a class assignment. Students were required to write professional business letters to their favorite brand, company or CEO. In the letter, students asked recipients for a visual element to showcase to the class. Morrow made the assignment a competition on who could hear back first. 

One of Morrow’s students reached out to a YouTube sensation who not only replied but was so impressed by the student that she came into class to hand-deliver a PR box. 

“It was one of those things where not only did your hard work pay off,” Morrow said. “Somebody took the time to acknowledge it.” 

Morrow is committed to providing her students with opportunities. To describe what that looks like, she talked about one of the more recent opportunities her students received. 

Morrow is friends with the editor-in-chief of a culture magazine called Snubb3d Magazine. He invited Morrow and 15 of her students to a private showing of a new movie, Sarah’s Oil. 

Students had the opportunity to interact with professionals and actors by working as greeters and interviewers on the red carpet.

“Those are the things that matter the most to me,” Morrow said. “Is giving them the opportunities they may never have in their lifetime.” 

Schmitt says Morrow’s dedication to thinking outside the box benefits her students greatly. Whether that’s through guest speakers or field trips, she is constantly expanding the horizons of Alcovy students.

“Anytime we can get kids to think bigger or think outside of their bubble is good,” Schmitt said. “She does a great job with that.”

For Morrow, receiving the Teacher of the Year recognition was rewarding and a testament to her hard work. She puts her best foot forward during and after school hours.

“The fact that people were actually seeing it, realizing what I was doing,” Morrow said. “I mean, you can’t even explain that, that is such a humbling experience.”