The best lessons start with a question: “What if?”

I am an AACPS: Social Studies Teacher, Broadneck High School | 2014 Teacher of the Year

One of the defining moments of my life happened when I was standing beneath a mammoth, floating Calder sculpture with a group of children, our necks arced back, faces upturned. They were giggling, trying to move the sculpture through the air by blowing as hard as they could.  I had been leading them on a tour through a museum, as my job at the time, as a museum curator, permitted me to work with visiting student groups. As a trajectory of promotions and advancements formed in my path, my time with students became more and more limited, and my time in meetings and conferences grew. Watching these students, listening to them, learning from them, I realized that I wanted to teach. Not just occasionally, as my work at the time allowed, but professionally, and in a way that would impact the lives of my students, permit me to know them, their names, stories, hopes and dreams, to work with them, and potentially to be able to impact their future.  

There is no doubt in my mind that becoming a teacher is a calling, not a job. I have never regretted becoming a teacher.  High school students are funny, smart, opinionated, and endlessly interesting. They deserve to learn in a classroom where they are respected, honored, listened to, and challenged. My greatest accomplishment as a teacher is in providing my students with authentic learning experiences. Planning lessons is endlessly creative, and I am constantly tweaking, re-tooling and re-working lessons to make them better, more effective, and more student-centered. The best lessons start with a question: “What if?” and often only raise more questions.

This is an exciting time to be an educator. We are transitioning from the old, outdated, “factory model” of school to a dynamic, learner-driven mobilization of education that challenges students to become actively involved in acquiring information and knowledge. We live in an amazing era, with ready access to information, and an explosion of new and creative ways to implement learning.  My classroom is often stirring with activity, as students conduct research, explore concepts, and shape their ideas using the latest tools, and I take the role of guide and facilitator, offering advice, asking questions, and collaborating.

Even with all the new technology available, however, good teaching is ultimately about relationships. Making a difference for a student always requires a teacher to forge a relationship, a connection on an individual level with the student. It is about sharing a smile, the nod of a head, and watching with satisfaction the intense look of deep thought on a child’s face. My lessons just as often reflect the classical methods of Socrates as the technology-centered classroom of tomorrow.   In my Advanced Placement US Government & Politics class last week, students participated in a lively debate over raising the federal minimum wage. Many students argued that it would cause prices to increase. One student quietly shared that her mother had been forced to take a job at minimum wage, and explained the hardships that her family faced. I was proud of her, and also pleased that she felt safe and respected in my classroom, in an environment where students can discuss, share ideas and opinions and listen to one another.

My greatest accomplishment in education isn’t stamped on a certificate or etched on a trophy, but lies in the daily work of managing a classroom where students can always find a welcoming smile and a place to think, speak, write, read, debate, create, and learn.