Carolyn Kelley
New Hampshire Teacher of the Year
Seacoast School of Technology, Exeter
Grades 10-12, Biotechnology I, II and III

My teaching philosophy
I am helping prepare students for their future by providing an education that excites them, gives them the opportunity to follow their own research interests, provides the ability to make a positive change in the community, offers the opportunity to gain experience under the tutelage of a master in an area of interest, and gives students the advantage of earning college credit and making important professional contacts. The advances in biotechnology will help shape the world in the coming years, and my students will be among the shapers. It is my mission to make a difference in my students’ lives, but my students must also make a positive difference. Knowledge, service to school and community, and real world understanding produce not only good scientists, but also good citizens. As the real world is not dominated by textbooks and exams, I have chosen not to be bound by the physical and academic limitations of the classroom. As effective educators, we need to act so that students see their learning as meaningful, relevant, rigorous and challenging. Teachers have often heard “Why do we have to learn this?” But in a classroom where curriculum is immersed indistinguishably from current events, we never have to hear this question.

My philosophy in action
I follow the new 3 R’s: Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships.

Rigor means making sure that all students are being given challenging work, and then pushing them to do it. Rigor is key to providing students with a solid foundation for their academic and professional future. If all education raises the bar for student success across the board, then our youth can remain competitive in our global economy. When students are successful in a rigorous environment pride is instilled, the image a student has of themselves is reformed and the U.S. stays competitive.

Relevance means that their schoolwork relates to their goals and lives. Making the curriculum relevant is the trick to getting student “buy in.” We are salesmen and we need to sell our product: our curriculum. We need to show how it is relevant to our students’ lives. With success, it assists in a student’s ability to recall, understand and remember material, it gives them the drive to explore the curriculum – not treat its existence as a chore – and it gives students the motivation to learn and become life-long learners.

Lastly, by generating relationships with educators and with professionals in our respective fields we make the connection for our students that what they’re doing now makes a difference to them and to others. Working with a teacher is often a student’s first professional relationship, and a successful one gives them the courage to form additional ones. By working with experts in our fields, by placing our students in job shadows and internships in fields appropriate for their interests we excite students about the curriculum. One way to ensure student success is to earn their buy-in and this can be done by showing them.

My greatest teaching accomplishment
Reflecting on my contributions to education, I am proud that I have promoted biotechnology education in the state. In 1997, there was only one program, now there are more than ten. I have assisted with the development and implementation of these programs by running annual biotechnology workshops. I am proud that colleges and laboratories have heard of my program and recognize the students who graduate from it as being of sound quality and of exceeding professional skills. They are scooped up quickly and are in demand. I am pleased that due to how I have designed my program, I can cater not only to the bright students, but to students of all levels. Through maintaining a high academic rigor in the biotechnology program, vocational education no longer has a negative connotation to it. I am pleased that I am able to offer high school students 15 college credits for successfully completing the biotechnology program as well as offer real world experiences to my students.

The most critical issues facing educators today
As an adult and a professional, I rely strongly on my character to do what is necessary and honorable in my line of profession. I understand that those I interact with are influenced by my actions and thus my actions need to be just and supportable. I take personal responsibility for my actions and work hard to maintain and model a stalwart moral character. It is often a lack of personal responsibility that I see as a significant and serious trend in our society and educational system today. The feelings of entitlement endemic in our culture are detrimental to the future development of our nation and to the sustained principles of our culture.

Ways to resolve this issue
We need to reinforce personal responsibility and ethical behavior. Students need to learn that it is okay to be infallible and to learn from mistakes. Integrity, persistence and a sense of personal responsibility need to be modeled by us, by school staff, by parents. A noble character is of value to the individual and all who are touched by that individual. The value of this has been misplaced and in order to maintain America’s strength and righteousness, we need to instill personal accountability back into our youth.

One thought to inspire teachers to succeed
Teachers are models of what students can become. Sometimes we are the only ones in their lives that can inspire them to become somebody.

One lesson every student should learn
Plan for it, work for it, and earn it.

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