The end of the school year brings much-deserved celebrations of student achievement, from Honor Rolls to scholarships to graduations. In one Bronx high school, the entire graduating class is headed to college. On campuses across the nation, students added their voices to civic movements. A driving force behind these accomplishments? The teachers who empower their students to stretch themselves in and beyond the classroom. As we honor standout students, we should also remember the impactful educators supporting them.
As a society, we often fail to give teaching the respect it deserves. Amid today’s debates on education, from achievement gaps to testing to blended learning, we rarely think teachers know what’s best in helping students realize their potential. As one teacher told me, “We take doctors’ or lawyers’ opinions as expert, and we seek them out — but with teachers, we go the opposite way.”
So how do we build a culture of celebrating teachers? We need to start thinking of them not only as experts, but as innovators, no matter how small or large the scale. Despite the buzz around technology “disrupting” education, teachers are not just conduits to students who might one day be replaced with avatars and online modules. They’re living, breathing architects of the learning experience with valuable insights that data can’t capture. They know that John doesn’t perform well in the morning because he doesn’t eat breakfast at home, or that Jane loves reading books about siblings because she has five.
There is no teacher “Honor Roll,” but as we reflect on another completed school year, it’s time to start one. I’ve met thousands of educators who have left lasting impressions, but here are a few whose creativity and compassion made them stand out this year.
Christina Ostrander, Grand Blanc, MI
Christina Ostrander, a fourth grade social studies teacher, has implemented two incredible programs in her classroom to empowered her students to become successful independent learners. When a limited number of school computers presented a bottleneck for students to access technology, Christina’s “Bring Your Own Device” program enabled them use their own devices in class. She’s also encouraged them to become experts in areas they’re most passionate about through “Genius Hours” (inspired by a Google employee policy) that allow students classroom time to explore a topic and use technology to showcase their findings in a mini “ed camp.” Under these programs, Christina’s students have made massive strides in reading scores and developed confidence in themselves as researchers and their own teachers.
Sabrina Moore, Oakland, CA
Sabrina ‘Bri’ Moore, a sixth grade humanities teacher who recently moved into an assistant principal role, graduated high school in Oakland with a strong dislike of teachers and a lack of support in meeting her potential. Later inspired by a manager to go back to school and become a teacher, she’s offering students in her hometown a learning experience entirely different from her own. Through blended learning and other technology tools, Bri created a 1:1 teaching environment for her students, many of whom are kinesthetic learners from low-income families — and now leads other teachers in doing so.
Kyle Phillips, Cedar Rapids, IA
Kyle Phillips, a high school journalism teacher, uses his subject to equip his students with crucial skills for any academic or professional field — especially the ability to use technology to tell stories and ask critical questions. In his first year as newspaper advisor, he launched and paid for a student news website to share their work with the world. Under Kyle’s guidance numerous students have won state press association awards and gone on to contribute to online magazines or university papers.
Barb Smith, Yucca Valley, CA
Barb Smith, a fourth grade teacher, has survived cancer seven times while continuing to teach and anonymously paying a former student’s community college tuition. Intent on ensuring students at her Title 1 school have access to technology, she purchases her own iPads for her classroom and funds her own trips to teacher conferences. Yet Barb is unafraid to unplug when she teaches — she recently taught a lesson on Colonial America dressed as a school marm, using slate and candles. She’s made a lasting impression on her students by infusing old and new school teaching tools with empathy.
There are thousands more like Christina, Bri, Kyle and Barb. While we may not be able to publicly recognize every single one, we should recognize that their success has been, and will continue to be, crucial to the success of students across the country. With constantly evolving technology tools and curriculum standards, teaching looks very different today than it did even one year ago. More than ever, teachers also play the role of friend, confidant and fellow learner.
Let’s start by remembering to celebrate them.