Teacher of the Year Award...

The Scenario: Winning teacher of the year award and the letter I would write...

Residents of the Community,
It is with great appreciation that I accept this teacher of the year award in my community. First off, I would like to thank everyone who came to recognize me for such an honor, and for all the support I’ve always had from many people in this wonderful community.

Long ago, while still preparing for my job in college, I observed a teacher at a surrounding district. She came to be one of my greatest role models after my first observation experience. I’ll never forget one day as we talked before class, she told me, “Always be the person you think you are. In teaching it will show if you can’t be yourself, and if you can’t be yourself you can’t be true to the kids.” This quote resonates in my head today, it is solely the lesson I strive to live by in my classroom. I don’t know a better way to put it, than my observing teaching put it herself.

I truly believe this quote. There is no way I would be where I am today without these words of wisdom. It is true to say since I’ve started teaching I’ve grown and learned a lot. But who I am has never changed. The person I think I am has defined who I really am, and that is something the kids have come to know very well. With hope in keeping myself constant, I have seen my students develop into their own people as well, and this is one of my many goals for them. When they know my expectations for them, they feel comfortable to adjust to a new environment and surroundings. My first and foremost goal in my career is the kids, and is it because of them that I do what I do.

Another belief I’ve had in my classroom from day one is that you must catch kids being good. It is one of the most rewarding experiences to catch the bully befriending. Not only does it force the student to know they are being good, but gives them a reason to keep excelling. I like to see kids pushed beyond what they think they can achieve. I would love to see them go the extra 110%, because not only does that apply to their school work, but to all aspects of their lives. I pray that the teaching I do for them, not only improves them in their school setting, but for their future and current life lessons.

With this, I also believe there are certain ways to go about teaching. Research shows, hands on learning seems to help the majority of kids in their schoolwork. Not only does it let kids handle life like examples it helps them remember the concept. I feel in doing this in a classroom it intrigues the students and helps a student reach success. More kids get into the lesson and want to participate. Having an active mind creates openings to teach so much more! Interaction is key in my classroom, I want to be there for the kids, to let them ask questions, get involved, and be excited just like I am! Passion is something you can’t teach, but only draw into.

Flexibility is also a key component to a good teacher. I am willing to try new ideas, adapt completely, or even slightly change a lesson plan in order for improvement in my classroom. Lesson plans differently affect students and I believe as an educator it is my goal to reach out to all of them. Every child is different, comes from a different background, and therefore requires different attention.

While there are rights and wrongs in teaching, I know no teacher can ever be perfect. I don’t believe that there is any certain way to achieve perfection, but we can keep working towards it. I know my career is ever changing, ever learning, and ever developing. There is something we all can do to improve ourselves each day. And that is what teaching is really about to me. There are no black and white instructions, only a vibrant pallet of colors waiting to be unleashed.

I feel teaching goes along with one of my favorite sayings, “Dance like no one is watching.” It’s not the things that you do to deserve recognition, it’s the things that you when you don’t want to be noticed: the little things that count. And I truly believe that in this community I’ve had that chance, the chance to make a small difference in one child’s life, that goes on to someday make a big difference in the lives of many. Through community involvement, extracurricular activities, and other functions I believe teaching isn’t my only job, it’s my title. Teaching doesn’t end when the bell rings, but rings throughout all aspects of my life forever. Thank you so much for this honor, I couldn’t be more appreciative.

Sincerely,
Katie Trewartha