Linda Winburn
South Carolina Teacher of the Year
Summit Parkway Middle School, Columbia, SC
Eighth grade, Social Studies

My teaching philosophy
Even in a world of rapidly shrinking education budgets and ever increasing concerns about new government mandates, my philosophy behind what I do every day in the classroom does not change—teach all children! I believe that I, as a teacher, must recognize and develop the potential in all students through challenging and stimulating material that is directly related to their lives.

My philosophy in action
The world is our classroom and students must be introduced to the world through literature, in every classroom. I watch with excited anticipation as students recognize and understand the literary elements in Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech and then begin to understand how history motivated this trailblazer of Civil Rights. Rewards double as students learn to appreciate a work of art, analyze its setting, and then begin to view the world with a new depth of understanding. Rewards magnify as I use current events to bridge the present with the past and show relevance and meaning as students and parents respond in a weekly current event journal. Students must learn to think critically and then develop conclusions that will result in more questions and a quest for more answers. "The one real object of education is to have a man in the condition of continually asking questions." (Creighton) This happens when teachers challenge students' thinking and then offer a safe environment for inquiry.

My greatest teaching accomplishment
My "Happy File" is filled with notes that are constant reminders that my accomplishments are measured in the lives of my students, parents, and colleagues. These accomplishments cannot be measured in test scores but in the greatest measure that I can experience-young adults who have walked through the doors of my classrooms now making a positive difference in our world. Daily, my students teach me that my greatest accomplishments are their successes and their love of life and learning-and that is why I teach.

The most critical issues facing educators today
Teacher retention and teacher quality, accountability, and high school drop outs are just a few of the many issues that impact our nation's schools and whose resolutions affect educational reform and student achievement. Immersed in these issues is Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) mandates that all schools implement AYP and close the achievement gap, with a goal for all students to score at the proficient level on statewide assessments by 2013-14. This includes students with different racial and ethnic backgrounds, children with limited English proficiency, and children with disabilities. This also includes children who come to school hungry-with no coat to keep them warm-the 12.1 million children who live in poverty-one out of every four children in our classrooms. This is a critical issue facing educators today.

Ways to resolve this issue
An investment must be made in professional development so teachers can understand poverty and our role in reaching children of poverty. For students to be successful, we must understand their hidden social rules and teach them rules that will make them successful at school and ultimately at work. We must learn to recognize signs of abuse and neglect and find resources to help them. Students of poverty must know that we will give them the reality of an adequate education-and that we care enough to guarantee it!

One thought to inspire teachers to succeed
In a world where the media celebrates violence, complacency, and corruption, our classrooms must instill character, impart knowledge, and make a connection to students' lives in a positive way. Teachers are in the position to bridge the gap for students. We must build hope and inspiration across cultures and economic barriers. A teacher's classroom must be a place of empowerment, a place for students to feel successful. As we meet our students, parents, and the community on their playing fields of life, we will shape our world one student at a time.

One lesson every student should learn
I tell my students that the quotation "the more you know the more you want to know" will ring true for them for a lifetime. They understand that it is not wrong to be ignorant but that it is wrong to stay ignorant. Students should be challenged to immerse themselves in a world of learning that will take them to the highest levels of expectations, greatest wisdom, and life-long striving.

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