Mark Robert Weaver
Indiana Teacher of the Year
Clay Junior High School, Carmel, IN
Grades 7-8, Science

My teaching philosophy
I fully believe that all students should have exciting, fascinating and interesting educational experiences. It is important that all students are actively involved in learning practical applications of any discipline they are enrolled in.

Keeping this in mind, and realizing that students are responsible for meeting local, state and national standards, I try to instill an atmosphere of excitement and adventure. In teaching science, I use open-ended situations, scientific methods and various laboratory environments. By building on previous knowledge and history, the most difficult problems or material can be analyzed.

My philosophy in action
I demonstrate my personal commitment to my students and to science not only in the classroom, but also through additional activities like research, after-school activities and field trips. Instead of just learning about a process, we perform it. Students should be doing science – conducting experiments, research, actively participating – not just reading about it or being lectured to. There is no reason why students should not be actively involved in their learning. It just takes guidance from a caring, energetic, knowledgeable and interested teacher, who is a lifelong learner too.

My physical classroom setting changes regularly, about as often as our topics, but my practice remains the same. If I create an environment that students will identify with and feel comfortable in, their learning abilities and achievement levels will improve. Even though students may not realize it, they are learning from the moment they walk in, and out, of my classroom. I try to incorporate something into the curriculum and the classroom that will catch student attention.

My greatest teaching accomplishment
There are many rewards in teaching. They can range from hearing former students telling of their adventures, successes and accomplishments, to parents and community members coming into the classroom to visit, observe and even participate. It is reward enough to hear of a student becoming a successful airline pilot, or working in the trenches of Nicaragua helping the poor and starving, or of a student continuing their education, or even becoming a teacher, and knowing that, as an educator, I might have contributed to their decision. When I am away from the classroom at a public venue, students always seem to come up to talk, rather than running away and hiding. Students in class share their own adventures and bring things in that relate to whatever might be on the agenda for the day. I am rewarded when the students say they had fun in class and that they cannot wait for the next class.

To be able to touch so many lives in a positive way and to have students share their experiences are what I consider great teaching accomplishments.

The most critical issue facing educators today
While there is a multitude of major issues that seem to govern trends in education, such as standards, reforms, management, certifications, technologies, international education, preparation and so on, one seems to stand out and merge several of these: to me, it is the most basic educational skill – reading.

Reading is more than a skill. It is the most basic teaching obligation of any school or educator. This ability is what turns a child into a student and eventually into a successful citizen. If this skill is not taught and reinforced through the official educational lives of our students, then the system has failed. With the failure of the system, the student is put on a path of frustration and low confidence.

It should be noted, however, that the United States is not a nation of illiterates, and the average student can read, but maybe not comprehend to the fullest what they have read. According to all reports, and my own personal experiences, today’s students are actually smarter than those of previous generations. But, the needs of today’s world are far more complex than those of sixty years ago, and they continue to grow more complex each day.

The methods and time spent in which we teach reading is crucial. So many times, after the primary grades, the focus of student education becomes subject-oriented and not student-oriented. Helping students to understand what they have read, reading in the classroom, or even reading aloud are left behind. The gaps between those that can read and comprehend and those that cannot are widened.

Ways to resolve this issue
Certainly, school systems, schools, departments and individual teachers must set goals for themselves and their students to improve the quality of reading. Accountability and having high standards are increasingly important to help support this. Promoting books, sponsoring book and reading activities and various other reading strategies should be practiced in the classroom.

I have had the privilege of attending conferences that help educators to promote reading in their classrooms, especially as the students become older. Repeatedly, two points ring clear. The first is to build increased knowledge and success in reading by reading aloud to them. The second point is to ensure that reading aloud not be limited to one classroom, class period, or one time during a course, but that it continues throughout all grade levels and all subjects. I have conducted these practices in my own classroom and I know that they work.

Recently, President Bush emphasized the importance of reading and reading reforms. In Mr. Bush’s radio address, he not only mentioned some of the points above, but he also expressed the belief that every child can learn and read if given the chance. We need to keep our expectations high, and our children will rise to meet them. We must not be complacent, take the easy way or ignore what must be done.

As educators, we must create lifetime readers. We must be accountable for their future.

One thought to inspire other teachers to succeed
Reach for your dream to touch the future. Remember that your responsibility is awesome!

One lesson every student should learn
Continue to improve.

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