Deborah L. Smith
2003 Tennessee Teacher of the Year
Ms. Smith has been teaching children at the Kindergarten level at Glencliff Elementary School for twenty-two years.

What are your beliefs about teaching?
"It is the most prized possession of my teaching career, a small piece of yellowed tablet paper creased from years of folding and refolding. Each year, I take it out of its hiding place and read the words once more; ‘Dear Mrs. Smith, when I came to you I didn’t know anything. Thank you. Now, I know something.’ It is precious to me because it is a reminder of my basic teaching philosophy. I cannot take credit for the students who come to my class knowing so much. It is the students who learn so much that are my greatest reward. I believe that I have a responsibility to my students to meet them where they are and to take them as far as they can possibly go in the year we share together. I must remember that each of these individuals is unique in terms of knowledge and abilities, interests and goals. I must find the key that will maximize learning for each personality and learning style. While I am nurturing individual talents, I must also strive to help my students become part of the classroom family. I must help them find a comfortable spot to belong, a place where they may express themselves without fear. I encourage them to step forward and try out new roles within the safety of the classroom fold.

My classroom motto is: We believe in each other. Students are encouraged to support each other and solve minor differences through the use of positive language. I attempt to draw on students' personal social strengths by pairing them with classmates who may benefit from their assistance and examples. I want my students to realize how strong the family becomes when we celebrate the diversity of the individuals."

How are your beliefs incorporated in your teaching style?
"Transferring beliefs into actions is not always an easy task. Meeting students where they are can mean dealing with an endless list of problems ranging from poverty and drug abuse to learning disabilities and family indifference. I have learned the value of being a good listener. Making time to really listen to individual students provides me with important information concerning specific problems that ultimately affect academic performance. Making time to listen to parents lets them know that I care about the needs of the child and his family and that we are on the same team. I believe that a teacher’s influence can reach far beyond the classroom walls, changing lives of entire families by encouraging them and helping them with basic needs outside of the academic realm.

Meeting students where they are reaching desired learning goals requires extensive planning. My instruction is assessment driven. Based on information that I received from initial assessments, I strive to plan an individualized program that addresses various learning styles and developmental levels. Ongoing assessment and frequent student and parent communication helps to refine the instructional process so that mastery of academic skills is maximized for each learner. I want to send my students forward with the knowledge and skills they need to take their next steps. I want them to begin to form a vision for their future. I want to prepare my children academically. Yet, I believe that a teacher’s influence extends far beyond the objectives and skills that are listed on a progress card. An outstanding teacher will impart life lessons along with the textbook lessons in language and math, science and social studies. A master teacher will live those lessons by example. I want my students to see me in action – learning from those around me, valuing those around me and supporting those around me. I want my personal teaching style to focus on the philosophy expressed in that tiny bit of yellow paper. I have a very important job to do. I am helping children grow. I am giving them something to remember. "

What is your greatest teaching accomplishment?
"Anderson, Marshall, Bayan. Their tiny faces smile up at me from the pages of my scrapbooks, rows of faces from the classes that I have been privileged to teach over the past 22 years. Anderson is now a sophomore at Duke University, studying to become a research scientist. Marshall is a tall, handsome high school senior who recently played a trumpet solo for a Veteran’s Day Memorial Service. Little Bayan has just completed her first chapter book. How honored I feel to have been their first teacher! Kindergarten teachers deal in beginnings. I have had the glorious opportunity of introducing over 350 children to the world of learning. I have watched as they mastered letters and sounds, circles and squares, and two plus two. I have swelled with pride as they recited the Pledge of Allegiance and the entire text of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. I have shed many happy tears over their joy at reading their first word.

Over the past years, my kindergarten teammates and I have endeavored to reach beyond the standards set for our district. Our kindergarten program has consistently achieved mastery of total language and math objectives around the ninetieth percentile. We have worked especially hard to help English language learners master both language and skills. We have been able to exit a number of ELL students entering kindergarten with a P-0 rating at levels of P-2 and beyond.

I am also proud of the progress that students make in the area of social growth. My classroom motto is: We believe in each other. I have watched, year after year, as each group of precious children attempted to live this credo amidst the chaos of history – the Gulf War, school shootings or the terrorist attacks of September 11. I have listened to their ideas about our world, and I am confident of their abilities as leaders for the future.

Planting those first seeds of knowledge is the greatest accomplishment of my teaching career. Teachers do not always get to see the results of their planting. Sometimes the harvest is reserved for other hands. A good teacher must be content with the knowledge that careful planting and nurturing will eventually produce the fruits of the future successes. I am confident, however, that the harvest will be worth every moment I have invested.”

What's the most critical issue facing educators?
“A quick perusal of educational research literature today reveals a number of issues and concerns related to accountability, curriculum and journals on a daily basis. The debate over the use of students’ test scores as a sole measure of teacher accountability rages on with the current sore spot settling on the release of individual teacher names and scores. Curriculum issues range from discussions on balanced literacy and the four block method to core curriculums which specify a body of knowledge for learners within each grade level. Funding issues are as hot as ever with the downturn in the economy forcing state and local governments to consider tax hikes and other more creative measures to avoid reducing education services. As if these issues weren’t enough, school systems have also faced new challenges in the past few years in the form of changing populations and school safety. Who would have predicted the mushrooming populations of English language learners in cities across America? Who would have predicted that the nightly news would carry so many stories of death and destruction within the schoolhouse walls?

While all these issues forcefully impact public education, there is yet another concern that shadows classrooms today – lack of parental involvement. It's difficult to say how and when the lack of parental involvement became such an issue. Some research indicated the concern arose with the women’s movement and the subsequent exit of mothers from the home into the job market. Others argue that the economy produced the greatest effect on schools in terms of sagging parental involvement, as two incomes became a requirement to make ends meet. Still other sources focus on the me generation of parents whose primary interest is centered on their own welfare rather than that of their children.

Whatever the causes of declining parental involvement, there is no question concerning its impact on student achievement. Students whose parents are not actively involved in the educational process are at an immediate disadvantage to those students who enjoy a wealth of parental interaction. These students arrive at the classroom door, hungry for breakfast and unprepared for the task of learning. They are the students who have never experienced the joy of story time while snuggled up next to Mom or Dad. They are the students who go home alone, with no one to ask if there is homework to be done. As involvement continues to decline, the effects are visible in measures such as standardized test scores, drug and alcohol abuse statistics, and an increase in the number of juvenile criminal cases.”

What do you think can be done to solve this issue?
“While it is important for teachers to possess a thorough understanding of the causes of declining parental involvement, it is far more crucial that they refuse to accept the status quo in this area. Teachers must become advocates for their students, emphasizing to parents the absolute necessity for their participation in the educational process of their children and inventing a creative way for this interaction to occur. For example, classroom orientation meetings provide informal opportunities for parents and teachers to get to know one another and to share valuable information about students and the instructional program. Offering evening workshop sessions can provide basic teaching skills for parents who lack confidence in working with their children on academic tasks.

Two-way communications is an absolute necessity. Designing a simple take-home folder system for student activities allows busy parents to note progress and concerns at a brief glance. Utilizing electronic communication such as e-mail and Web page newsletters can provide parents with ways to communicate while at work. Flexible scheduling between various school levels for parent-teacher conferences or school programs can allow parents to schedule a single day or evening off to visit the elementary, middle and/or high school. Teachers must become advocates for parents as well as students, communicating to the business community the importance of parental involvement. Students who enjoy this benefit become successful employees in the workplace.

Parental involvement is an easy fix compared to many of the issues facing education today. It does not require a huge commitment of tax dollars. It does not require metal detectors and armed guards. It is beneficial to all segments of the classroom and each school and district across the nation. Parents must be reassured of their value in the educational program. They hold the key to the door of success for their children just by being there.”

One thought to inspire teachers to excel
“In order to make a commitment to excellence, teachers must practice what we preach. If we maintain that education is power, then we must obtain the highest levels of personal education possible in order to assume positions of leadership and influence in the field. We must become lifelong learners, continually searching for the best information available on current educational issues. We must become greater partners in the teacher training process, willing to open the doors of our classrooms to research and to share our expertise with the teachers of tomorrow.
Armed with the power of education, teachers must become active participants in the arenas where change occurs. We must exercise our voices at the polls, in the media and in the workplace. We must seek opportunities for service and leadership beyond the classrooms and our schools, and to work with parents, administrators and legislators to identify solutions that will benefit us all. I believe that this commitment to excellence will mean a more positive future for the teaching profession and the children we teach.”

One lesson every student should learn
“A recent motion picture film noted that great ambition without service to others is wasted. I do believe that to be one of the greatest lessons for every student to learn. It does not matter how much education an individual acquires, how much status is achieved, or how much wealth is earned, if these gifts are not used to serve others. We do not change the world in how much we gain, but in how much we give.”

Favorite Teaching Tool:
“I could not imagine teaching without the power of books. The pages of my favorites have been turned many times as I have shared lessons ranging from the changing of the seasons to great moments in history. My students have traveled through books and learned to appreciate other cultures. Sometimes the books have tickled their sense of humor; at other times the words have sent tears streaming down their tiny cheeks. I am also grateful to have access to computers and the Internet within my classroom. My students and I follow up our favorite texts with visits to an author’s Web site, cyber trips to other lands or listening to the actual sounds of a zoo animal we are studying. They are learning to access information and evaluate sources. I'm thankful that my role as a kindergarten teacher allows me to introduce my students to the world of books and technology. My greatest joys come when they are able to say, 'I can read this book all by myself,' and ‘Look what I did on the computer.’ I know that these skills are the basis for the development of lifelong learners.”

Favorite Web site:
www.scholastic.com – Scholastic
www.enchantedlearning.com – Enchanted Learning Web site
www.pbs.org – PBS Media