Joyce Schenck Loyd
Department of Defense Education Activity Teacher of the Year
Lucas Elementary School, Ft. Campbell, KY
Grade 5, Math, Language & Reading

My teaching philosophy
I believe teaching starts with the building of relationships and meeting each student's needs. In my classroom, I get to know my children, and I let them get to know me. I strongly believe this foundation needs to be laid in order for each child to experience success in learning.

My philosophy in action
I interlace the building of relationships and learning all year long. I also build a relationship between what is being taught and the real world. Once these relationships are established, my teaching begins. I believe high expectations are essential for every student to gain academic success; I teach all students as if they are gifted. Problem solving and higher-level thinking skills become an integral part of every subject I teach. When you combine high expectations with higher-level thinking skills, you get higher-achieving students. What’s more, I believe in flexible grouping – I model what it is I want my students to learn. I also believe all children can learn given an appropriate amount of time to master a particular skill or concept. I schedule time to give each child the opportunity to experience academic success. I provide a variety of opportunities to actively involve students in learning as well as help children learn how to solve problems. I let their curiosity draw them in. They listen, they live it and then they learn it.

My greatest teaching accomplishment
My greatest accomplishment is the strong relationships I build with my students each year. The rewards are priceless and the benefits are infinite. The shy child begins to raise his hand. The class bully begins to mellow and relate to the other students in a more positive way. Children with emotional issues and/or discipline problems calm down and their problems become a non-issue. I watch frowns during the learning process turn to smiles and bodies relax as the frustrations disappear.

The most critical issue facing educators today
Children in classrooms today are more ethnically and culturally diverse than they have ever been. Educators must provide diverse teaching strategies for these diverse learners.

Ways to resolve this issue
I believe the answer lies in developing strong teacher-student relationships. Students learn best from teachers who know, understand and believe in them. Students want to feel liked, trusted, wanted, accepted, and successful. If learning is to occur for all children, then a connection between the teacher and each student must develop.

One thought to inspire other teachers to succeed
Stay vital in the classroom. Look for fresh ideas and strategies to use with your students. Do this by staying current with the latest ideas and concepts in education. Try these new ideas and concepts. Constantly work towards what each individual child needs to experience success, both academically and socially.

One lesson every student should learn
Students should learn problem-solving techniques that will encourage them to never give up when trying to find a solution to a problem.

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