Chase Puckett
Georgia Teacher of the Year
Screven County Middle School, Sylvania, GA
Grade 8, Language Arts

My teaching philosophy
I believe that all students are entitled to a solid, high quality education that will prepare them to be life-long learners, as well as productive and responsible citizens. I believe it should be the goal of every teacher and adult that works with young people to be the stepping stones into success that will make a difference in the life of a student. As a teacher, I believe it is my task to provide students with a challenging, rigorous educational basis for each of them to become leaders, team players, and contributing members of society. I believe that all students deserve to be educated in a learning environment that demands excellence in attitude, effort, and achievement. All teachers should be willing to provide students with a strong foundation by challenging students to meet high standards. They should work to ensure that all students succeed, regardless of ability, socioeconomic status, or background. Students in my classroom are challenged each day to give every task their best effort, with a positive attitude and an open mind to new learning opportunities.

My philosophy in action
The greatest evidence of how my beliefs are incorporated in my teaching style can be found in how I interact with students on a daily basis. My greatest strength as a teacher lies in my ability to motivate some of the most difficult to teach students, and to challenge them to contribute to their own learning. With all of the angst and turmoil that is a part of the nature and needs of middle level learners, I have had to learn to use my creativity and my energy to find novel and unique ways to inspire students to acquire the needed skills and knowledge base that will be demanded of them both in my classroom and in their own career endeavors. Another characteristic that defines me as a teacher is my willingness to go the extra mile to reach a difficult to teach student or a student who requires additional support. I go out of my way to involve parents in their child’s education, from parent contacts outside of the school at community events, to a home visit or phone call to praise a student’s success. Students know before ever entering my classroom that my class will be high energy, demanding, and a positive learning environment where each learner is valued, appreciated, and supported.

My greatest teaching accomplishment
With my many positive experiences as an educator in a Title I school system, it is difficult to describe my greatest accomplishment in education, but it is similar to the contributions I believe my early teachers made in my life. I have invested the majority of my time, energy, and resources into becoming the type of teacher that is viewed as not only as a positive role model, but as a mentor and coach to all students placed in my care. My greatest accomplishments are those students who have walked across the stage to receive their diplomas. These are the students placed in my classroom, at just the right time, for me to instill in them the same optimistic hope that pushed me on to graduate, despite formidable obstacles.

My greatest contributions have been teaching at-risk students to read, to write, and to love learning. My greatest accomplishments come not in the number of students who pass my classes, but in the gratitude I have received from parents, community leaders, and former students who have taken the time to pull me aside and tell me “thank you” for believing in them, or in their child, and for looking past the sometimes awkward exterior to the great potential found on the inside. I strive to work to the best of my ability to help all children learn and succeed. I challenge them to continue on in their education despite their surroundings, and to use their innate abilities, their family background, and their socioeconomic status as stepping-stones to greatness. I have accomplished my goals, and perhaps that of my parents and my eighth grade teacher, when I see my students develop a life-long love for reading, for learning, and for living.

The most critical issues facing educators today
There are several issues that challenge the public education system of today. Despite the increase in high stakes testing, the millions of dollars being poured into the educational system, and the rise of formal and informal accountability, many students still are not performing at or above grade level in reading, mathematics, or writing. Additionally, national trends demonstrate that despite enormous public outcry and intensive scrutiny, SAT scores, standardized test scores, graduation rates, and GED rates are still alarmingly low, while the number of students dropping out or being retained continues to be high. Furthermore, policymakers and administrators still have not adequately addressed the shortage of qualified, high quality teachers for the classroom.

While there are many issues facing education today, the primary issue that must immediately be addressed is the gap in achievement between different groups of students. Despite attempts to close this gap, the reading, writing, and math achievement levels of students from low socioeconomic homes, minority students, and those identify as having special education needs, tend to be lower than those of other students. There are many possible causes for this dilemma. Most teachers will point out that a majority of at-risk students arrive the first day of school behind their peers, and this is often attributed to a poor socioeconomic status, lack of parental support, and the perception that school is not a viable method of obtaining social and economic security. Others critical of the education system often point out that some students are victims of classrooms and communities that may have lower standards, unqualified teachers, an inflexible and unchallenging curriculum, and a vacuum of positive role models.

No matter the cause, the gaps between students who excel and students who fail are detrimental not only to our society as a whole, but also to the individual students involved. High drop out rates, behavior problems, low attendance, lack of economic opportunity, and a self-perpetuating cycle of failure are all brutal and permanent effects of this ever widening gap between students who succeed and students who do not. While there is no single cure for such a complex dilemma, I believe there are specific steps that can be taken to resolve this issue.

Ways to resolve this issue
First, schools must provide students with learning environments where each individual student is well known, supported, and nurtured. This requires teachers and administrators who view improving student performance as an individual, case by case issue, rather than educators who utilize a one size fits all approach. Educators must be well trained in and encouraged to make greater use of the information available to diagnose student needs. Teachers must know what students already know as well as what they need to learn at each level. Then teachers must use this information to craft lessons that not only support this learning, but also accelerates the achievement of lower performing students. These students do not need to be taught less material by teachers that are less qualified. They need the best quality instruction by teachers who know them best and who have a vested interest in seeing them succeed. The lessons taught must address individual learning styles and be both intrinsically and extrinsically valuable to the students. These students must see the value in their education and in their academic success. All students need real life experiences and hands on interactions in order to reduce deficiencies in their own prior knowledge and educational background. Furthermore, a commitment to ensuring that each student can read must be instilled in every teacher, in every classroom.

Any one solution to such a complex issue would be simplistic and inadequate. To truly close the gap between the students who succeed and those that do not, we must not only maintain high standards of success for all students, but we must also provide each student with whatever assistance, intervention, and support he or she needs in to be successful. To provide each student with what is needed requires professionals who are experts in their craft, are willing to learn and adapt throughout their careers, and are willing to put forth the effort needed to explicitly teach students what they need to learn, no matter the challenges inherent in their social setting. This requires hard work, energy, a positive attitude, and a vision for what is yet to come for each student and each class. This takes teachers that students respect and trust, as well as a commitment to making sure that no child is left behind.

One thought to inspire teachers to succeed
Teachers have never been afraid of accountability, for we know that our greatest accountability is formed not at the federal, state or local level, but when we lock eyes with our students and we realize that while we may not be their only hope, for some we might be their last hope.

One lesson every student should learn
Never give up. No matter your background, your past, your race, your wealth, or your location, never, ever give up.

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