This program is made by MPT to enrich the diverse communities throughout our state and is made possible by the generous support of our members.

Thank you.

[School bell rings] [Kids in background] ♪♪ years since our lastN: Ite Maryland Teacher of the Year Gala.

Wow.

Three years.

Three years.

I'm so happy to be here, and to see all of you here.

DR. DEANN COLLINS: He joins us tonight to celebrate and champion the exceptional educators who have dedicated their lives to the noble profession of teaching.

Please join me in welcoming Governor Wes Moore.

GOV.

WES MOORE: I am so thankful for each and every one of you.

For everything that you are doing, for everything that you do every day.

Our educators are our foundation.

Our educators are the ones who continue to make us lifted, make us feel supported, and make us feel seen.

Thank you for not just fueling our present.

Thank you for igniting our future.

Because I can tell you right now, the future of this state, it is blindingly bright.

SIMPSON: I do have a very special person, who has played an integral part in creating and highlighting this amazing program in our state.

And quite frankly, she's the backbone of the Maryland Teacher of the Year program.

The Maryland State Department of Education is honored to present her with the 2023 Distinguished Service to Education Award for outstanding contributions to public education, and teaching in Maryland.

Without further ado, Dr. Strouse.

[Applause] DR. DARLA STROUSE: I am just very honored, and it is amazing to be here.

This is terrific.

I want to say thank you to Regina.

To Kelly, who's been working in the background.

And we were the team, uh at MSDE.

To all the folks from MSDE are here, the board members, folks that I haven't hugged yet, but I will when the lights go on, [chuckles] and just tell you how much I missed- I missed this.

I was at the State Department of Education for 36 years, and I would say that 32 or 3 of those years was filled with such an amazing job, and that was heading up Teacher of the Year.

We need teachers to love- continue to love the job, and to encourage students to become teachers.

So thank you everybody for this honor, which is a surprise and a lot of fun.

Maybe I'll stay up here.

What do you think?

DR. COLLINS: And I'm Dr. Collins, deputy state superintendent for the Office of Teaching and Learning at MSDE.

I just love teaching.

I love hanging out with teachers, and I enjoy seeing the synergy between teaching and learning happening in classrooms every single day.

I just feel very fortunate to be in the midst of so many great teachers this evening.

So thank you for all that you do.

The research says a great teacher instills confidence, sets and models high expectations, is creative, respectful, nurturing, and a good listener.

I want you to know that we are honoring you this evening because you all exemplify all of those qualities.

The best skill that I developed when I was a teacher, and has really stuck with me to this day, is perseverance.

Perseverance means continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure or opposition.

And I know that you possess these skills, because you wouldn't be here if you didn't.

The Maryland State Board of Education and the Maryland State Department of Education have developed a multi-year strategic plan.

This plan anchors a vision, the mission, the values, priorities and initiatives, and the strategies to realize the blueprint for Maryland's future; the promise of an excellent and equitable education for every student.

Together with you on the front lines, we are transforming Maryland's education.

Thank you.

SIMPSON: Now it's time to get to know some of this year's honored teachers.

♪♪ DR. JOSEPH THOMPSON: Summer band here at Fort Hill High School is one of my favorite times of the year.

It's an opportunity for me to not only meet the new members coming into the band program, but also an opportunity to see our underclassmen move up, and to be upperclassmen.

They begin to take on new roles and identities within the band program, and it's one of my favorites.

♪♪ JARED PERRY: It's the band class, so we're already having fun.

But when they come in, we have our check in.

Five, I'm excellent.

Four, three, two, one, I'm not doing well at all.

So Mr. Perry, work with me.

It allows me, before we get to the objective, to understand where the students are.

My students know, regardless of their mistake in my classroom, they are forgiven.

♪♪ BEVERLY FOLKOFF: I motivate my students by meeting them where they are, both in skill level and in interest level.

Sometimes that means we hold elections for the Paw Patrol characters to learn about the U.S. government, and sometimes that means we read in a train.

It's my job to work with each student to find the tools, the strategies of the modifications, that allows them to be successful in a way that works for them.

♪♪ JOHN S. ALLEN: As a documentary filmmaker, I learned that everybody has a story.

So each year I strive to learn that story of every one of my students through personalized conferences, through individual assignments.

And then throughout the year, I'm not teaching a class.

I am showing that one student the tools they need to shape the rest of their story.

♪♪ ROBERT HONER: What's different about me in some ways is that I didn't know I wanted to be a teacher until later in life.

I think that's important for us to remember about our own students, they are not always going to be ready for life yet.

And that's okay.

We need to understand that.

[Applause] ♪♪ LAUREN D. STEVENS: I asked students what they thought made me unique as a teacher and unanimously they said, "You care."

To me, caring as a teacher means I don't teach the same lesson the same way twice.

Every human being that walks into my classroom has a totally different view of the world, and a different way of thinking about things.

And I teach to those needs.

♪♪ MICHELLE L. BRADSHAW: One of the ways I promote social and emotional wellness in my class is by being aware of each of my students' individual emotions.

And when a need arises, I'm willing to change my plan to address student concerns and offer support.

By showing students that they're much more important than any lesson plan, they feel more willing to open up when they're experiencing struggles.

To me, this is one of the most important components to effective teaching.

♪♪ BRIANA D. BEULA: With me, every day is a new day.

I am a true believer of putting yesterday behind us.

And even on those toughest of days, our students need just as much love and comfort as anybody else.

My approach to teaching is to honestly focus on the why, and not the what.

♪♪ ALI SCHILPP: My biggest strength as a teacher is also a great privilege.

As the media specialist, I get to teach every child in the school, and do so throughout their middle school years.

The library is the largest classroom in the school, and a place where all are welcome.

Providing a school library for everyone is my passion.

And I strive to make the library the heart of all learning.

DR. COLLINS: Ms. Rachel McCusker is currently serving her second term as the first active teacher member of the Maryland State Board of Education.

Ms. McCusker was honored as the 2015-2016 Carroll County Teacher of the Year.

RACHEL MCCUSKER: The title Teacher of the Year, it carries a certain amount of weight in the education community.

People are going to pay attention when you speak.

So take advantage of the moment, and speak up about those things that you know are going to make a difference for your students and schools across the state.

Give public comment at local and state board meetings.

We need to hear from you.

Talk to your local representatives, and talk to community members about the supports and policies that your students and colleagues need.

Raise your voice, people will listen.

And you can bring about positive change.

♪♪ MICHAEL BROGLEY: The thing I hope people walk away with when they visit my classroom is this sense that content, while very important, should always take a backseat to the learner.

It's a people business.

It's a student driven business, and so if you're not making authentic connections with those young faces in front of you, at the end of the day, that content's really not going to resonate much.

♪♪ DR. LAURA MOORE: What sets me apart is my application of my doctoral research in the mind, brain, and teaching specialization.

My classroom strategies mirror how the brain operates and absorbs information.

So while my students are highly engaged, often cheering and jumping around with joy, they often do not realize that they're being assessed and tricked into learning.

Who knew learning could be fun?

♪♪ MARY J. MCGEE: My approach to teaching reflects the belief that every child needs to feel loved and valued.

My mission is to make sure each one of my students knows how much the world needs their unique and special voice.

When a student understands and believes this, they are able to access learning in a powerful way.

♪♪ SHANNON H. MCKENZIE: I take great pride in the fact that I'm not only teaching high school students, but supporting my fellow educators and the teaching career at large.

I do this by modeling the impact of teaching, creating a supportive and inclusive environment, and prioritizing student needs.

I hope that this inspires the next generation of educators, and creates a brighter future for all our students.

[Applause] SIMPSON: She's the 2023 Maryland School Psychologist of the Year.

Her name is Tina Wachter.

We congratulate her on winning this award.

[Applause] ♪♪ MARY TRUMAN: Building relationships with my preschoolers with autism is vital from the beginning.

I use attention-grabbing activities to establish the love of learning.

A favorite is to inflate and release a balloon across the classroom, and watch my students track it with their eyes.

They giggle and they squeal, and it creates fun and interest.

These activities establish the foundation for future learning.

♪♪ TANIA L. CUNNINGHAM-RAYCROW: Encouraging a family-oriented classroom establishes a safe place where we can all make mistakes and still feel powerful.

I support teaching the whole child, which means bringing in the family members as part of the learning process, reminding students that they can accomplish great things, and celebrating every success which builds confidence in them.

This promotes a positive learning environment where we all feel valued.

♪♪ ALISHA SWANN: Meeting my students this year was special.

Within the first few days of school, I assigned a six-word memoir so I could get to know the core and personality of each of my students.

It was beautiful to see students' creativity, humor, and insightfulness from just six words.

Each morning I say good morning, good afternoon, and greet students in the hallways with a smile.

I want them to remember how I made them feel, not just the content I taught them.

♪♪ CINDY ROSSBACH: In my classroom, my heartbeat is an equity-centered, trauma-informed education, created in a safe space where healing and learning coexist, as we dismantle barriers and empower my students to rise above adversity.

Because through a culture of kindness and respect, a foundation is built for academic success and lifelong resilience.

[Applause] STUDENT: We are smart, we are brave.

We can do anything.

BEROL DEWDNEY: What do you want the world to know about us?

STUDENT: That we are unstoppable.

DEWDNEY: Do we ever give up?

STUDENT: No.

DEWDNEY: Never.

SIMPSON: Let's give a warm welcome to the 2023 Baltimore City and Maryland Teacher of the Year, Berol Dewdney.

[Applause and Cheers] BEROL DEWDNEY: Well, good evening.

Before I start, I want to say thank you to Regina.

You are an angel on this earth, and we are going to give you another round of applause because your light and love is a gift that is unmatched.

You make all of this possible.

Thank you, Regina.

[Applause] I want to thank my students and their families, the people who have taught me all I am and all I want to be.

And I'll never be able to give it all back, but I promise that I will spend my entire life trying.

So tonight I'm going to tell you a story about one of my students.

I will never forget the day that Tristan walked into my class.

The day before, I had taught the kids a call and response.

This was just a few weeks ago.

And the call and response went like this.

I would say, "Are you ready to rock?"

And the kids would say, "We're ready to roll."

And Tristan was sitting next to me after he came in on that first day, and he was very proud of himself, because he already knew how to sit crisscross applesauce on the carpet.

And he sat down next to me and I asked the kiddos, I said, "Are you ready to rock?"

And Tristan rose onto his knees, threw his hands way up into the air, and with every bit of energy that he had in his heart and spirit said, "I was born ready!"

[Audience laughs] It was amazing.

Born ready.

Born with unstoppable power, the power that our world must realize.

That's why I applied for Teacher of the Year.

Because there is nothing, absolutely nothing, that I believe in more than Baltimore students.

Than Maryland's children.

If I'm going to bet, I'm betting on them.

Maryland, are you ready to rock?

AUDIENCE: We were born ready!

DEWDNEY: Thank you.

SIMPSON: I want to take a moment to talk about a couple of Teacher of the Year activities last year, starting with the O's.

The Orioles do a great job at honoring and recognizing educators.

By the way, congratulations to the Orioles for becoming the American League East Division champions!

[Applause] The teachers were also able to participate in the National Independence Day parade in Washington D.C.

They had a good time.

They make everything fun.

And now it's my pleasure and honor, to introduce someone very special to the Teacher of the Year program, Denise Koch.

DENISE KOCH: Thank you, Regina.

It is my honor, it is my privilege to be here this year, as I have been for so many years in the past.

You are in the trenches every day in the classroom, ensuring the future not only of our community, but the future of this country.

I don't know if it is been said tonight yet, but I remember Nancy Grasmick every year on this very podium would say, "Teaching is the one profession that makes all the other professions possible."

That is the truth, the absolute truth.

[Audience Claps] All right, now let's continue with our teacher videos.

We are going to take a look at the first group of very impressive finalists.

♪♪ MARY KAY CONNERTON: As an educator, I am dismantling barriers for my students by creating and implementing programs that ease the stigma of mental health, allowing them and their families or communities to use wellness as a vehicle for success, and the thread that unites us.

This approach truly encompasses the all means all mentality.

BRIANNE SOUDER: As a result of studying art therapy in college, I have always approached art education with a focus on the importance of the process in addition to the final product.

Students know the experience can be just as, if not more valuable than what they're making.

And that the visual arts can play a vital role in teaching important life skills, and maintaining mental health.

♪♪ NICHOLE RHOADES: In relationships, the little things are the big things.

True relationship building happens in the day-to-day interactions I have with students.

Greeting them at the door, making sure I have a positive interaction with them each day, and inquiring about their extracurricular activities.

I genuinely show them that I care about them, believe in them, and support them.

♪♪ ANDREA M. SCHULTE: My teacher strength is heavily investing in each student relationship and learning their stories.

It fosters belonging, but it also allows me to customize a platform for each student's unique voice through my lessons or initiatives that go beyond the school day, that provide real life validation.

Providing for student voice and student choice allows students to be heard and validated, and they're having a good time.

[Applause] KOCH: I love that we're covering every corner of the state this year.

It's wonderful.

All right, we'd like to mention just a few of the activities that all of this year's, all of them, teacher of the years can participate in: a Chesapeake Bay retreat on Smith Island, Maryland General Assembly Honors in Annapolis, a retreat in Western Maryland, hosted of course by Garrett County, and an amazing White House Holiday tour.

And for the Maryland Teacher of the Year this year, they will participate, of course, in the National Teacher of the Year programs.

And those include a national induction conference in California, a National Teacher of the Year Recognition Week in Washington D.C., and participation in, this is a fun one, National Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama.

[Audience cheers] Always a great time.

And the Maryland Teacher of the Year will join their fellow state teachers of the year at a White House honors ceremony with the president.

And as you heard, I've been there before when our teacher, three times, won National Teacher of the Year.

That's how good we are.

[Applause] All right, now it is my pleasure to introduce the president of the Maryland State Education Association.

And even more importantly, the 2003 Baltimore County Teacher of the Year, Cheryl Boast.

CHERYL BOST: I'm going to challenge the superintendents, the boards of education members, the county commissioners here.

You need to invite the teachers to be part of these decision making tables.

[Applause] And when you invite them, they shouldn't have to write sub plans for when they leave, because that's just extra work.

But just invite them, bring your teachers of the year and others in and say, how can we help to make your job easier, so that you can help the students succeed?

KOCH: So now, let's meet the last group of phenomenal finalists.

♪♪ RAYMOND WEBER: Every student is unique, with their own set of strengths.

Therefore, I act as a facilitator where students are active participants in their own learning process, creating an environment that fosters independent thinking and creativity.

Every student has the potential to succeed, and my role is to provide them the tools they need to tap into their innate desire to learn and grow.

♪♪ TARA MARTENS: I spend time getting to know my students, their families, their interests, and their future careers before teaching content.

We have routines within our family.

We sing a song that I wrote that reviews our commitment to each other and our class.

Each day my students look into the mirror and say something positive about themselves.

We build trust and once you build that, the opportunities are endless.

♪♪ DR. JAIMIE RIDGELY: This isn't surprising, but I love words.

Reading them, writing them, teaching them.

It's my passion.

My biggest strength in the classroom is that my passion has collided with my purpose.

Passion is contagious.

It moves people, it motivates them.

My passion for literacy, and preparing students for literate lives, moves us into my classroom daily.

[Applause] KOCH: So let's meet one of our presenting sponsors, Ms. Catherine Simpson.

She is Sector Vice President and Associate General Counsel at Northrop Grumman.

She joined the teachers last year when they went to Smith Island, and I know that must have been a really great day.

KATHRYN SIMPSON: We have been proud to be a sponsor of the Maryland Teachers of the Year program since it started more than 25 years ago.

Teachers change lives.

They shape and influence generations in ways both large and small.

They bring out the best in us, and the lessons they instill in us often last a lifetime.

KOCH: Now let's bring to the stage, Mr. Chris Mann, McDonald's owner operator and presenting sponsor.

CHRIS MANN: Tonight is a celebration of education.

A celebration of teachers, a celebration of individuals who have dedicated their lives to the growth and development of our children.

Very quickly, you become amazed at how your children develop.

How is it possible that they learn so quickly?

My kids are in high school now, and will leave the nest soon enough.

And as much as I worry about them, I know that they will be fine, in large part because of the work that all of you do.

They will be educated, and therefore ready to face life's challenges.

DR. COLLINS: And, the winner is... Mary Kay Connerton, Anne Arundel County Public Schools.

Come on up.

MARY KAY CONNERTON: I believe there is no single winner here tonight.

We are all winners in the way we have transformed teaching into our own beautiful craft, impacting the lives of our students and those around us.

[Applause] No one gets to this point through the sole work of their own two hands, but the work of the hands of many.

I've been blessed to have had so many sets of hands helping me along my journey.

And in this year's process of deep reflection, it dawned on me that it's not just the hands, it's the belief that the hands carry.

It probably would surprise you to learn that two months into teaching, I nearly quit.

Because my belief was that I wasn't good enough for my students.

I knew something had to change, and I leaned on prioritizing my own wellness.

The product of that was a person who believed in themselves, me.

And because of this shift, I knew it had to be a priority for my students.

Seeing their improvement in not only their wellness, but their academics and their social interactions, made me realize the power that wellness practices have for opening the door to endless possibilities in education.

It did it for me, it has done it for my students, our staff, and our district.

Rob, thank you for taking my hand from our start and being my biggest believer.

Thank you again to everyone here.

Take care of yourselves and be well.

Thank you so very much.

[Applause and cheers] ♪♪