Yuma County Teacher of the Year Finalist 2012 Essay Wendy Adams Vista Alternative High School _____________________________________________________________________________________

My philosophy of education is that knowledge precedes wisdom and is the most valuable asset a person can achieve. I believe no time spent acquiring knowledge is wasted. I believe education should be available to all those who actively seek it. I believe one test should not define or limit a student's future. I believe education takes all forms: traditional, online, vocational, and other methods envisioned but not yet developed. I believe teachers in the United States of America, and Arizona in particular, produce quality students that can hold their own against their world counterparts. I believe education is vital for everyone; and is the key that will open doors in a student's life. I perceive the teachers role to be one of trust. Teachers must be honest, and reflect the highest expectations of good character. I am being entrusted to impart not only the content of my discipline, but also to act as a mentor, counselor, and cheerleader for my students. I teach math but I also teach job hunting, interview and first impression skills, relationship counseling, behavior modification, health and life strategies, and so many other soft skills that are not thought of as part of the traditional academic curriculum. I am asked to deal with adolescents that have struggled academically, socially, with their families, and in some cases with the legal system. I am tasked with reporting abuse, neglect, and being vigilant for learning disabilities and other individual needs. I am expected to impart enough knowledge to help my students pass the state test and become productive members of society regardless of the academic deficiencies they bring with them to my class. I do all this and still manage to ask them how their weekend was, how their sick grandma is doing, are they on track to graduate, and by the way,do they understand the equations we are working on? Life prepared me to be a teacher. The academics came after I discovered that I love teaching. I did not attend a structured education program to become a teacher. I accepted my first teaching position on the Navajo Reservation, having only completed my Bachelor's degree. I taught for two years before I returned to school to complete the requirements I needed to be fully certified to teach in Arizona. Even that process was not a structured program, just me selecting random classes to meet the 30-hour requirement of the Arizona Department of Education.

Adams TOY Finalist Essay

Despite not being formally trained in the traditional sense, I have continued to seek selfimprovement and learning opportunities as often as possible. I attend workshops and conferences with the intent of gaining and refining skills to become a more effective teacher. I am currently completing my internship for my Master's degree and will graduate in May 2012. Even though I took a nontraditional route into teaching, I feel that all my experiences as a student helped prepare me to be a better teacher. I remember how I learned and struggled. I try to apply those lessons to my own teaching so that I reach all my students, regardless of their ability. I love to learn and my time as a student only fed that appreciation and helped foster a love of learning. I have had many examples of qualified, quality instructors on whom I model my own teaching style. The rewards of teaching are mostly intangible. I love the diversity of my day and the interactions I have with my co-workers and the students. Through the course of my school year I have the opportunity to talk with people with whom I might not otherwise interact. Every day is different for me. The curriculum is basically the same, but new concepts are taught each day and allow for creativity in presentation. The students are in the same bodies, but each day they bring different personalities, challenges and trials to my classroom. Current events spark conversations and interactions that make learning relevant for my students. I like being the catalyst for the learning and understanding that takes place in my classroom. I love to learn and to see that spark in others gives me joy. I want my students to find success and usefulness in being in my class. Helping that to happen makes even the toughest days worth the effort. The feedback I have received from students about my role in their lives has been very positive for me. Their personal growth has validated my position as a role model, and makes me strive to find other opportunities to help them grow and be successful. Average teachers are capable of learning and mastering the academic content required by the Arizona State Standards. They can be adept at teaching others that content - simplifying material, breaking steps down into attainable, retainable chunks, offering specific feedback and helping learners grow. Many teachers can handle the controlled chaos of classroom instruction. An average teacher works to improve the student through academic learning. But a truly outstanding teacher does all that and stands as a caring role model, offering encouragement, support, understanding, kindness, and genuine concern for not only their academic well-being but also their mental and physical wholeness. An outstanding teacher understands that their students do not exist in a bubble, only caring about them for the minutes they are in their class. They see their students as complete people, with lives often filled with chaos and strife, who need help overcoming the obstacles they face. Some trials are the results of

Adams TOY Finalist Essay

the student's poor judgment, but they are no more undeserving because of it. Outstanding teachers don't make excuses for their students; they do make accommodations so that every possible opportunity for learning is available and relevant to the students so they can learn and grow, regardless of their life situation. An outstanding teacher works to help the whole child/person. I truly love what I do, so narrowing it down to one best day seems over simplified. But I do have one experience that, for me, seemed to validate my ten years of teaching. Several months ago, I was in the middle of my Algebra II class when my classroom phone rang. I have asked the front office to take messages when I am teaching, so I was surprised. The receptionist said a parent was on the line and had asked to speak to me. Since it was a parent, I asked the receptionist to put the call through. I identified myself and asked how I could help. The caller said she was Jonathan's mother. She then proceeded to tell me how much he talked about my class and me. He told her he was learning and felt successful in math for the first time in a long time. "She really cares about us, Mom. She wants us to succeed and have a better life. She believes that we can do whatever we want if we work hard." The mother told me how much she appreciated my caring about her son. She thanked me for my efforts with her son and then said her goodbyes. I stood at my desk for a few seconds trying to compose myself. I'm kind of an old softy, so I got a little choked up. All I could think was, "Maybe I am getting through to my students." I want my students to master the required academic content of my class, but as important, I want them to develop the skills that will help them be successful in life, whatever that might look like for them. That brief phone call gave me the validation that I am making a difference in my students lives. I will continue teaching in the hopes that I can reach at least one more Jonathan and help him or her to believe that I believe in them because I am an outstanding teacher.

Adams TOY Finalist Essay