JEFFERSON — Dave Cuddy spent years in the business world, but in 2002, he decided to abandon that life for one in the classroom.

“I’d worked as a district training manager for Pizza Hut and also as a (trainer) for Penske,” Cuddy said. “But after all those years I just didn’t enjoy going to work each day.”

So he decided to go back to school.

“All of a sudden, after 20 years, a light bulb went off,” Cuddy said. “I realized that the thing I’d enjoyed the most about my previous positions was the training — I really liked teaching others, so I decided to go back to school to become an (educator).”

That decision has paid off. Cuddy, a seventh-grade math teacher at Jefferson Middle School was named the Jefferson City Schools system teacher of the year.

Cuddy has taught at Jefferson middle for the last four years. Before that he taught in Gwinnett County.

Despite being the teacher, Cuddy said he learned several important lessons on his first day as an educator, lessons he still uses today.

“I’m definitely not the same teacher that I was in 2006. I’d always worked with adults and I don’t have children, so I had to learn how to (relate) with my students,” Cuddy said. “I had this misconception that because I was the teacher and they were students, that when I gave a direction it would be followed — the first time.

“The biggest lessons that I’ve learned as a teacher are patience and understanding. I’ve learned that the more you know about your students — not just things like their math abilities, but their interests and background also — the easier it is to reach them.”

Teaching 101 students each day, patience and understanding is key.

“They all learn at different speeds and come in with different levels of prior knowledge,” he said. “So I have to differentiate how each of them learn. The really good thing about this school system is that the students are all willing to learn, so that makes a big difference.”

His passion for teaching shines through in his interactions with students, where even a student’s wrong answer leads to a discussion that helps them arrive at the correct one.

“My favorite part of teaching is when kids get it,” Cuddy said. “I love seeing that expression when the light bulb goes off for them — it doesn’t matter if its the same day, or four days later. The only thing that matters is that they get it.”