Leslie Nicholas
Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year
Wyoming Valley West High School, Plymouth, PA
Grade 10-12, Journalism

My teaching philosophy
Teachers should trust students and let them make decisions. If we do this, motivation becomes self-directed.

My philosophy in action
Clearly, the key to successful teaching is motivating children. A coach must motivate the team to do well beyond just getting the athletes to want to win. Everyone wants to win. The good coach motivates his athletes to expect to win. He gets them psyched to do the job. A good teacher also motivates his students beyond just getting them to want to do well on a test. The good teacher’s students know that, if they prepare, they can expect to do well in life. A coach must make everything practical. The athlete should see how the drills in practice translate to skills in games. So, too, should a student see how class work translates into marketable skills in life.

A quote from one of my heroes, Walt Disney, is displayed in our student publication room. It reads, “If you come to me with a problem, have a solution.” When my students come to me and say, “This isn’t working,” I know they would like me to show them how to fix it. They would love to let me do it for them, but I have found it more effective to ask, “So, what’s the solution?” Most often, the answers the students come up with are outstanding. When the answers are not outstanding, the good teacher must let the student err. It is difficult to watch students do wrong, but it is wonderful to see them learn from those mistakes. A mistake can be a great vehicle if a student learns and grows. To learn from mistakes, students must be made to critically evaluate their work and use what they find to keep improving. This is what I call stealth education. Students learn life skills without even knowing they are learning them. If teachers allow freedom in the classroom and encourage introspection, students will learn teamwork, responsibility, critical reading skills, and so much more.

My greatest teaching accomplishment
I have had many successes in my 22-year teaching career. I have earned awards for my teaching which include the 2002 Pennsylvania Journalism Teacher of the Year, Newspaper in Education Teacher of the Month and four-time Track Coach of the Year. I have had wonderful experiences because of my teaching. As a Teacher Ambassador for the Radio and Television News Directors Association, I was able to attend the 2002 National Association of Broadcasters Convention in Las Vegas. I also was given the opportunity to present at the 2003 Southern Interscholastic Press Association’s Convention in South Carolina. I constructed our high school’s radio and television studios. My students and their publications have earned awards and, of course, I have been blessed to see the sparkle of understanding in my students’ eyes when they grasp a new concept. I am proud of all of these accomplishments, but I take the greatest pride in the little triumphs.

I am proud of my coaching record (102 – 7) in track but it is not the wins that make me most proud. One of my proudest moments was, in fact, a loss. My team competed against a team with talent far superior to our own. We entered the meet heavy underdogs, but battled valiantly in every event. Because of our striving, we were ahead by two points heading into the final event, the 1600-meter relay. Despite another outstanding effort by every member of the relay team, we lost the event and, therefore, the meet. The loss was disappointing to be sure, but it was glorious to see each athlete train hard and perform to her full potential.

I am also intensely proud of helping my athletes and students attain personal goals. One of my athletes trained hard for five years to break six minutes in the mile, a time that is not only remarkable in and of itself, but a time that was certainly a challenge for her. It was extremely gratifying to see her reach her goal (5:59.1) in her last scholastic meet. As you can see, I get the greatest satisfaction from helping a student reach his potential, whatever it may be.

To me, the joy is not in the victories; it is in the striving. It is not about arriving at the destination; it is the journeying that matters most.

The most critical issue facing educators today Many educational issues are dominating the public discussion these days. School choice, charter schools, and school uniforms are some of the topics that are being debated hotly throughout the country. None, however, has caused the stir that accountability in teaching has, largely because of the No Child Left Behind Act. The legislation, which provides incentives for schools with high scores and sanctions for schools with poor scores, has several worthy aspects:
	It emphasizes early childhood learning in an attempt to prevent learning difficulties later in life.
	It provides more information to parents on their child’s progress and on the performance of their child’s school. All research indicates that when parents are informed and involved, children perform better.
	It places an emphasis on quality teaching by stressing programs that have been shown to be effective through scientific research.

Despite these admirable principles, I am concerned that the accountability provisions do not necessarily guarantee real student achievement or school improvement. Research by Brian M. Stecher and Laura S. Hamilton, for example, indicates some unintended negative results may occur because of the new accountability systems. It is imperative, therefore, that states design their accountability systems to prevent any inadvertent contrary outcomes.

States need to expand testing to include more than reading and math. Our product should be a well-educated citizenry that can participate fully in the democracy. We must produce well-rounded students who are as aware of the political happenings around the world as they are of their physical well being. Interestingly, the skills that are tested are not necessarily those that produce such citizens.

Several states that boast of rising test scores cannot adequately explain why the scores are rising. It may be that students are working harder, teachers are using more effective methods, and better learning is taking place. It could mean, however, that because so much is riding on the results, teachers are simply teaching to the test.

Some research has shown that teachers are well aware of the high stakes and create tests that imitate the state test format. What appears to be good test preparation may, in fact, sacrifice other important skills that do not lend themselves to this format. For example, students may answer many multiple choice questions because those types of questions appear on the assessment test while sacrificing those skills that do not lend themselves easily to a multiple choice format.

Finally, the sanctions imposed on low-performing schools do not ensure that the students in those schools are not left behind. Students who are not performing up to standard must be monitored and remediated.

All of this will be costly. While the act does provide funding, there is much debate about whether the proposed funding is adequate. It is vital that the proper funding be provided, lest an additional non-funded mandate be thrust upon the educational system.

Ways to resolve this issue
Accountability is difficult to measure because of numerous variables like numbers of students, types of students, physical facilities, availability of materials, etc., but educators must be accountable to the taxpaying public.

To some, accountability means answerability. And, indeed, educators must answer the difficult questions: Did I make the most of the time with my students? Did I teach so that all students grasped the concept? Did I give the taxpayer his money’s worth today?

Accountability to others means culpability. When things go wrong, they want to point a finger of blame, but we must remember we are all in this together – parents, teachers, students, and the public. Public education in America is a unique arrangement. We all pay taxes to educate all children, therefore, we all have a vested interest. That education is a shared responsibility is what needs to be stressed. This nation needs to rededicate itself to the principles of public education, that all students are worthy of a quality education.

Parents don’t take their child to the dentist and then forget about dental care. They check daily to make certain that their child brushes and flosses. Similarly, parents can’t turn their children over to the teacher for education and expect the professional to handle it all. Parents need to read to their young children, check their homework, and stress the importance of education.

As consumers none of us would pay for something we couldn’t use and didn’t see as important. The community then, needs to be reminded of the value of good educators. To accomplish this goal, we must enlist the community’s participation. Educators must do a better job of getting the public involved in education. Parents and teachers must see the process as a dynamic venture in which they are both engaged, a process where both contributions are vital. This powerful partnership will certainly benefit the child.

The tone of the dialogue – on both sides – needs to move from the accusatory to the participatory. I am confident that an effective alliance will create a synergy that will energize the profession and the public.

One thought to inspire educators to succeed
Lilies that fester smell far worse than weeds. I love this line from one of Shakespeare’s sonnets because it expresses a profound truth so eloquently.

So many people have the potential to be great. They could be a beautiful flower. They could be a lily, if you will, but for whatever reason, they do not fulfill their promise. They fester; they rot.

I teach many students who can not do better than average work. They have nothing to be ashamed of. They make the most out of what they have been given. I also teach many students who have the potential to earn A’s, but are content with C’s. On the report cards, these two types of students may appear to be equals, but I always view one as a success, the other as a failure. One developed his potential; the other did not. One could have been a lily, but he festered. To have the ability and not use it is far worse than not having the ability in the first place.

One Lesson every student should learn
The talents we are given are our gifts from God. How we use them is our gift to God.

Back to the 2004 Teacher Profiles home page