William R. Cecil
Michigan Teacher of the Year
Waverly East Intermediate School, Lansing, MI
Grade 5, Language Arts and Social Studies

My teaching philosophy
I believe my primary role in the classroom is to empower my students to believe they can achieve by teaching them how to think rather than what to think. I want them to become thinkers of possibilities; I want them to be confident that they can think big and have the ability to make their dreams a reality.

My philosophy in action
I think of my students as both my employees and my customers. I manage them the way I would want to be managed. My goal is to motivate them to work together as a team while striving for their personal best. We set team and individual goals and then create action steps to complete them.

My greatest teaching accomplishment
I wrote and published a book, Best Year Ever!, and started a crusade to speak to as many educators as possible. It has been my passion to convey to them that they have the power to create the type of work environment they long for in each of their own classrooms, schools and districts. I am helping teachers and students become more successful by providing them with a positive mindset and effective strategies to use in the classroom.

The most critical issue facing educators today
Lack of leadership seems to be the biggest issue facing educators today. We are in desperate need of someone to step up and lead us to a better place. We need a strong leader in education, like Martin Luther King, Jr. was to the civil rights movement, or like President John F. Kennedy was to the space program. We need someone with a clear vision who can ignite us into action, working together to strengthen our schools and make them something so special that they stand out as the best in the world. We need a leader who can get us to envision and believe in a dream and have a workable plan to make it a reality.

Ways to resolve this issue
Until that leader arrives, we need to realize we all have teams to lead. As leaders with teams to lead, we need to know where we are trying to lead our teams, and we need to take the time to create a shared vision with our teams. Finally, we need to lead the way we want to be led!

One thought to inspire other teachers to succeed
Enthusiasm breeds enthusiasm. Find something to get excited about each day in your classroom and watch how quickly that excitement will spread to your students.

One lesson every student should learn
It comes from the book Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill: "Whatever the mind can conceive and believe it can achieve!"

You can accomplish anything you set your mind to accomplish if you believe you can do it and are willing to work for it.

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