Joseph Hills
Virginia Teacher of the Year
Lake Braddock Secondary School, Burke, VA
Grade 9, World Studies Honors

My teaching philosophy
My teaching philosophy centers on getting students actively involved both physically and mentally in class activities. Interaction between teacher and student and student and student is essential to benefit from my program. I like to ask questions and promote lively exchanges and exciting conclusions. I am constantly pushing them to "think out of the box.” It is my belief that all students need to develop higher level thinking skills and what better ways than to pose questions for them that require them to think in a way that they have probably never had to think before. I believe that learning must be happiness in motion, satisfaction for the soul and just plain out and out fun. I believe that all students can be successful, that all students can learn, and that all students can achieve.

My philosophy in action
I am a Socratic teacher. I like to guide my students through the inquiry process and the Socratic Method to arrive at possible answers to the mysteries of history. I like to boggle their minds with exciting ideas such as what determines whether a person is "great.” or why history is called HIStory rather than HERstory. Do people in China refer to Los Angeles as the Far East? Is history a "pack of lies dead men play on us?" I want my class to always be on the move, with the highest pitch of excitement from the time they walk into the room to the time they leave. In my class everyone, including me, is a teacher and a learner.

My greatest teaching accomplishment
My greatest teaching accomplishment is the feeling I get when I look into the eyes of students when that light bulb comes on and they react with those wonderful smiles, that excitement of discovery and that satisfaction that they alone discovered something real and meaningful.

The most critical issues facing educators today
The most critical issue facing educators today is the critical shortage of teachers and administrators.

Ways to resolve this issue
Recruitment, training and retention methods have to be totally revamped to make the profession appealing and attractive.

One thought to inspire teachers to succeed
Teachers must develop a deep and meaningful passion for their content and a deep and meaningful commitment to the art of teaching.

One lesson every student should learn
"If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.”

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