Reflections on the Honor of Teacher of the Year

The end of the school year has been incredibly busy, and I intend to write a new blog post soon.  Until then, I wanted to share my comments from Dr. Atkinson's biweekly message to teachers that was sent out a few days after I won North Carolina's Teacher of the Year.  The emotions and aspirations I expressed in this message are the same ones that I still feel a little over two weeks after receiving this honor.

            Overwhelmed.  One short word can positively summarize the past few days after being selected as the North Carolina Teacher of the Year for 2013-2014.  While other adjectives such as humbled, honored, and touched also describe my emotions, overwhelmed encompasses all of these feelings.  I am overwhelmed with the honor of being chosen to represent the outstanding educators in this state; overwhelmed by the love and support from my school and community; overwhelmed by the incredibly kind e-mail messages I’ve received in the past few days (seventy-eight the afternoon of the announcement!); overwhelmed with hugs, high fives, and fist bumps from students in my classes or in the hallway, some of whom I’ve never actually taught; overwhelmed with media interviews and opportunities to speak about education in North Carolina; and finally, overwhelmed with excitement for the upcoming year.

            Education has always been central to my life.  I have always loved being a student, and as an educator I believe that we never stop learning.  I have also always loved teaching: teaching my stuffed animals, trying to teach my older brother and my parents when I was just a preschooler, tutoring students when I was in high school and college, and, of course, teaching English to high school students at Grimsley High School in Greensboro, NC. 

That is why I am so excited about the upcoming year.  I know the value of an education, and I am also keenly aware of how influential all teachers are in developing the minds of children and guiding them along their educational journeys.  All too often I read articles in the paper or peruse online comments following articles about teachers that belittle, vilify, and underestimate the incredible positive impact that teachers have on students daily. 

As an ambassador for educators in North Carolina over the next year, I hope to provide a strong voice in support of the outstanding advancements in education that are going on all over our state in spite of teachers often having to do more with less in their classrooms. Teachers are constantly encouraging students to develop their higher order thinking skills that will serve them well beyond the walls of public education.  I want to share with others the innovative ways that educators in North Carolina are applying the Common Core curriculum and developing and using twenty-first century skills in their classes, in spite of limited resources in their classrooms.  I want to advocate for our teachers and students by helping put the importance of supporting education both dialogically and fiscally back at the forefront of conversations. 

When a reporter last Thursday asked me, “So are you the best teacher in the state of North Carolina?” I was briefly taken aback.  I do not believe that there is any one best educator in this state; instead, we are blessed to have many outstanding educators, each with his or her own set of skills.  It is only with a collaborative effort from kindergarten to graduation that we can reach out to all of our students.  As a collective whole, the educators in North Carolina are at their best, and I am so honored to be able to serve as an advocate and representative for all of you.