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The Teacher’s Academy Celebrates Teachers!
- December 27, 2015
- Posted by: The Teachers Academy
- Category: Teacher Features
In 2015, The Teacher’s Academy had the honor of celebrating five incredible teachers from the Pennsylvania area. By observing these innovative teachers in action, we were able to share with you the influences they are having on the next generation of learners. With this blog posting, we would like to once again thank our 2015 teachers for sharing their “typical day of teaching” with us and preview our amazing 2016 lineup of Teacher Features!
The Teacher Feature is Born!
In February of 2015, representatives from The Teacher’s Academy attended the educational technology conference in Hershey, PA called PETE & C. It was at this conference that we encountered Mrs. Zahra Tees while she was giving a presentation to a packed audience of teachers. She was demonstrating how her students use blogging tools and social media to build their language and writing skills. Like the rest of the audience, I was captivated by her presentation, rigorous lessons for her students, and witty personality. We had a chance meeting with Mrs. Tees after her presentation, and we knew we had to share her ideas with other teachers. One of our many goals at The Teacher’s Academy is to help effect real change in education. After meeting Mrs. Tees, we developed an idea to share with our clients the latest trends in education as well as the innovative practices of some of our favorite teachers. We lovingly refer to these articles as “Teacher Features.”
To create a Teacher Feature, we observe a teacher “in action.” A Teacher’s Academy representative visits the classroom to learn about the teacher, the teaching environment and the students. When the Teacher Feature is completed, it is given to the celebrated teacher for their approval and to share with their family and friends. The Teacher Feature article is then posted to our blog page and shared with thousands of current and prospective teacher-clients.
Two-Fold Benefit of the Teacher Feature
As a company comprised of teachers, we understand how effective it is to share original and successful teaching practices with other teachers. Allowing teachers to take a peek into another classroom to observe effective implementation of new ideas and technologies is one way to help bring change to education! Observing talented teachers in action also has an effect on how we develop new courses. In fact, many of our new courses contain content and projects that were influenced by our celebrated teachers. Sharing ideas and keeping our own courses current are the main reasons why we love to create and share our Teacher Features. These features would not be possible without the generosity of the teachers that we get to visit. So, in our own small way, we like to thank our celebrated teachers with a few gifts at the end of each year. A personalized certificate of thanks, an inspirational book and a $50 gift card is mailed out to each of our celebrated teachers early in the month of December. The more our company grows, the more we plan to give back to the teachers and students across the country!
A Recap of Our 2015 Teacher Features!
You can check out the full story of each of our teachers by visiting our blog page, but here is a quick recap of our amazing 2015 celebrated teachers:
Mrs. Zahra Tees
This fun-loving hippie chick is substantive when it comes to providing engaging lessons for her brilliant Northeast Philly students. From posting blogs of famous literary characters to making poetry cool with her Louder than a Bomb lessons, Mrs. Tees’s lucky students are getting the tools they need to succeed in college and beyond! Thank you Mrs. Tees!
Dr. Michael Scott
Heading up an award-winning jazz and marching band in a blue-collar town, this teacher
gave musical opportunities to students who grew to love and appreciate the power of the arts. Due to budget cuts, music and arts were taken away from this school, and the jazz band, marching band and theatre program were forced to shut down. When provided with the opportunity to teach high-school social studies, Dr. Scott decided to utilize his theatrical personality to connect American history with current events. His students may not have the music department in the school, but they have the heart and soul of music with them everyday! Thank you Dr. Scott!
Mrs. Lindsey Whalon
This incredibly organized teacher has seen her share of classrooms! Finally settled into teaching 3rd grade, Mrs. Whalon is the queen of hands-on, project-based learning. Her students work out extra energy before the lesson and engage in complex thinking throughout the day. Whether they are putting together a skeleton or prepping for some new creepy crawly visitors to take up residence, these students will be prepared to meet any challenge! Thank you Mrs. Whalon!
Mrs. Michelle Blair
Over the river and through the woods, Mrs. Blair’s students go to visit the local bird population. Hands-on science experiences are sure to stay with her young learners for years to come. None will last as long as their love for their favorite teacher! (I should know, my daughter is 15 years old and still talks about her favorite first grade teacher, Mrs. Blair.) Thank you Mrs. Blair!
Mrs. Kerry Black
This incredibly special teacher uses common shapes and complex language to teach our youngest learners. At four years old, her students can describe not just the parts of the body but the whole digestive process! The creative lessons developed by Mrs. Black and her assistant foster a strong cognitive foundation for their students. Her warmth and love of children has created a classroom environment that focuses on thoughtfulness and care for all living things. Her preschool classroom is her “happy place” and an inspiration for anyone who is lucky enough to enter! Thank you Mrs. Black!
Our 2016 Teacher Feature Lineup
The representatives at The Teacher’s Academy have had many nominations for prospective teachers for our 2016 teacher features. Get ready to meet new teachers who will blow you away with high-tech American History lessons, share new hands-on ways to teach math concepts and take budding entrepreneurs into a nationwide competition as they share innovative business ideas for improving our world.
If you would like to nominate a teacher for our 2016 teacher features, please fill out a contact submission form and a representative from The Teacher’s Academy will get back to you.
We would like to thank all of the amazing teachers who really do make a difference everyday. We wish everyone a safe, happy holiday season.
Thank you teachers!