Angie Markum

Angie Markum is a hometown veteran educator, a product of Hamilton County Public Schools, and a graduate of UTC. She began her career as a 7th grade math teacher in 1985 at Soddy-Daisy Middle School. Since then, she has dedicated many years as a classroom teacher in both Tennessee and Georgia, curriculum developer, illustrator for children’s books, author of educational materials, administrator, and educational reformer. She has taught mathematics at every grade level K-12, emphasizing logic and math, nature and art. Director Markum developed the Tennessee Classical model after contrasting learning with nature, or learning isolated from nature, and she concluded, “Nature WINS!”  

Awards bestowed through the years include Teacher of the Year within buildings where she served, East TN Environmental Educator of the Year in 2016 by the Tennessee Environmental Education Association, Tennessee’s Administrator of the year by Professional Educators of Tennessee in 2019, one of the top three finalists in Tennessee Charter School Center’s Administrator of the Year in 2021, and in 2023 a hall of fame inductee at Soddy-Daisy High School. She is on the State Board of Directors for Professional Educators of Tennessee, former board member for Youth for America, and board member for Wonder Academy. She has served on the Legislative Advisory Council for Charter Schools in Tennessee and has participated in the Administrative Input Group for SCORE (State Collaborative on Reforming Education). After just completing its third year, the school she founded, Skillern Elementary, was voted as best public school in the region by the Chattanooga Times Free Press Best of the Best Awards.

Director Markum went through a traditional teacher training program, but after experience in the public education system, she began to notice where we were falling short. Her journey for better educational modalities landed on the Classical model and since that time she has worked towards developing a school that would bring that opportunity to any student. Skillern Elementary is the first of those schools and combines the Classical model with outdoor delivery, making it the best of educational worlds.

She and her husband of 40+ years reside in the Possum Creek community. They have three adult sons, three daughter-in-laws, and an ever-increasing amount of grandchildren. Angie says, “Educational models must adjust to meet the demands of the learner, or we will end up lacking in our results. Unfortunately, we are seeing some of that now. Every child deserves the best education, and it is up to the educated to deliver that gift. We must do it with quality, integrity, accountability, and efficiency.”