Be a Teacher of the Year!

What is good teaching? What does it look like? Do I have the right qualities? Am I even on the right track? At this time of year, these questions can haunt the best of us, as challenges hurl towards us daily and solutions we thought might work fail miserably! It can be easy to doubt our calling to this field and forget that teaching is an art and a science, an ever delicate balancing act with ever changing wind gusts!

And yet, some people make it look easy!

I have had the opportunity to interview candidates for District Teacher of the Year, and have noticed some commonalities. Twenty-five teachers were nominated for this honor and asked about their practice. The questions revolved around their practice, what is important to them as teachers, and who they are inspired by. This is what I heard:

1) Connections come first!

Across the board, teachers indicated the need to connect with students first, get to know them and find ways to connect them to the classroom and the learning. Ultimately, students need to feel cared for before they can learn.

2) Mental health is a REAL concern!

Our students are changing. More students are having mental health issues at earlier ages than we've seen in prior generations. We must take every threat of self harm, or suspicion of mental health issues seriously. Always report. Always. (And take care of yourself so you can be ready to take care of your students)

3) It's all about learning, no matter how long it takes.

These award winning teachers realize that it is not enough to cover the content, keep up with the curriculum or meet the required minutes of instruction. Rather, it is essential that all students learn the content, understand it and are able to use their knowledge in various ways! These teachers are all about ensuring students learn at high levels, allowing students to prove learning in a variety of ways; creating ways to learn and assess knowledge that are best suited for students in their class.

4) Grading reform is happening at all levels.

As we continue to focus on learning, teachers at all levels are finding that their old grading practices are no longer working. Retakes and re-dos are occurring at all levels to ensure mastery of skills and standards. Grading based on standards mastery (Standards Based Grading) is being used to determine specifically where students need additional work and allow students the time they need to master a concept.

5) Collaboration is key to their success.

Each teacher we heard from praised the amazing educators they work with. Ultimately, we know that we are better when we collaborate and engage for the benefit of students. We challenge each other to learn new things, to engage with students in new ways, to look at assessments differently and to always grow professionally. This type of engaged educator makes the biggest difference in the lives of the students they serve.

Do all these ideas sound familiar? I hope you read this list and realized that you are already doing all of this! As I listened to these teachers speak about their practice, I thought often of you.

I thought of how you already know the importance of connections and how I find you greeting students at your door all the time!

I thought of how caring you are with students, always looking for ways to brighten their days and help them appreciate life...and how you let us know if you are concerned for their safety.

I thought of how dedicated you are to ensuring students are learning.

I thought of all of you working towards equitable grading practices, offering retakes and re-do's and fearlessly moving into the territory of standards based grading in order to be able to serve students better.

I thought of how you learn from one another and never stop learning, constantly working to find new and better ways to do what's best for kids.

Thank you for your dedication.

You are the Teacher of the Year to your students.

Oh, and one more thing. The teacher interviewees were asked who inspired them. There was a common theme...

"Mom" is the hero, the inspiration and the one who believes in them. I want to offer encouragement to all moms of any type (including the ones in the classroom who answer to "Mom" when the students use that name accidently).

Moms, you are making a difference in your kids' lives, whether they are young or grown, in your home or their own, your own kids or your kids from elsewhere (church, neighborhood, school, etc.).

(Dads, don't worry! You were mentioned, too. You have more power to influence than you may think!! Keep listening, giving tips and advice and NEVER give up the dad jokes. Ever!)

Be encouraged,

Kim