Stephanie Pain
Educator
Georgia Cyber Academy • Atlanta, Georgia
Stephanie Pain’s journey to being a teacher began early. When she wasn’t competing in equestrian growing up, she was pretending to be a teacher in her own school.
Stephanie’s path took her to Judson College, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in History, and Brenau University, where she obtained her Master of Arts in Secondary Education Social Sciences. A 19-year veteran of teaching, she currently instructs AP Government and Politics, Economics, American Government and Civics at the Georgia Cyber Academy in Atlanta, Ga.
Stephanie credited her mother as her biggest inspiration, beginning when she drove Stephanie to equestrian practice early in the morning through being named a Madison Fellow during her educational journey.
“She has watched me pull myself up by my bootstraps and celebrated my accomplishments,” Stephanie said. She attended the Bill of Rights Institute’s Votes for Women 19th Amendment seminar and enjoyed lively discussion with the visiting experts and her fellow teachers.
“I was able to return to my school and share the resources and information,” Stephanie said. She was awarded the PAGE Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR) by one of her AP U.S. History students and received a 2021 At-Large James Madison Fellowship. The STAR award recognizes teachers who had the most influence on their student’s academic achievement.
“I also love the feedback and emails at the end of my courses,” Stephanie said. “Comments such as ‘You taught me to veer away from listening to just what my family believes and to read multiple sources for information.’”
Stephanie also received quite a bit of influence from former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln.
“What I appreciate most is the steadfast way he focused on keeping our country united during a time when our country was at odds,” Stephanie said. “Neither side was quite happy with him, but he stood true to reconciliation, and to me, that showed true leadership. Not bending to the pressures of politics, but doing what is best for the country.”