TEACHERS AS LEADERS: A conversation with Oregon Teacher of the Year

What inspired you to become a teacher?

I am not the person who woke up and thought, “I’m going to be a teacher.” I always knew I wanted to work with youth and with kids. I would keep finding myself in those positions. I would be a coach for a Little League team in high school. I’d referee a game. I’d teach skills at a baseball camp. I became a tutor at one of our community centers, helping kids get better at math or do better in science. In my junior year of college, I thought, “Let’s see if teaching really is going to be a thing that I’m always thinking about and planning for.” I was reflective about it, and I realized that teaching is in line with my skill set as a person.

How do you help students who come in with math anxiety?

When we see math in the movies or when looking at the stock market, it feels intimidating. Honestly, math at its foundation, whether it’s the stock market or writing a linear equation, is about how one thing impacts another. It’s about relationship. Creating familiarity is a method used to relieve anxiety. Can I give my students some kind of platform that they feel strong and sturdy so they’re willing to take a leap, to take a chance? That’s what I try to do, whether it’s through humor or through realness. I bring items from their corner store. I ask, “How much are those bags of chips? How much is the candy? OK, what if I wanted to buy enough for five people, eight people, or the whole school? Now let’s create an equation that allows me to do that.”

How can teachers — especially newer ones — step into leadership roles in their schools and communities?

You are a leader when you walk into your classroom. I remember my first day teaching as a first-year teacher, and I had 26 students looking up at me and I said, “Whoa, this is real.” Teaching itself is a leadership position. Go out and strive to do as much as you can and what your heart desires. Know that by just teaching in your classroom, you are impactful. That is leadership.

What does it mean to make an impact as teacher, and how can early-career educators start doing that right away?

Making sure that you are consistent, making sure that you are encouraging, and having an expectation that you believe that they can do more are extremely helpful. You put expectations out there, and then you show them how to get there. When students know you believe in them, you get the buy-in. That’s when you get the kids to stretch themselves. Even though they don’t really want to be stretched, they’ll do it even more. That’s really awesome to see.

What advice would you give new teachers on how to build their confidence?

Get comfortable taking feedback. Don’t personalize it but think about how you can work through it. But in my first year of teaching, I wanted to quit. It was difficult, it was fast paced, and it just felt like being in like a time warp. One thing that I did to help settle myself was to keep a journal to help me be reflective. I’d write something that was good that day, something I could do better, something that made me smile, and something I needed to remember for next time. Keeping that journal trained me to be reflective all the time. Am I showing up prepared? Am I delivering the content how I need to? Make sure you highlight those things that make you smile and those things that are positive because we’re also our biggest critics. We see what didn’t go well, but we also need to pay attention to what does go well.

This interview was edited for length and clarity.