Jan Keese
Iowa Teacher of the Year
Crocker Elementary, Ankeny
Grade 3

My teaching philosophy
I believe that teaching is a difficult job and probably always has been for different reasons at different points in history. I believe that all children can learn, but the “how” can be different for different students. I think that we are filling more and more roles for our students and we can no longer just teach the academics and let it go at that. For too many students, being at school is the safest/best part of their life. We have to embrace the whole child and look not only at the academics, but the social and emotional needs of our students. We need to be an advocate for each and every child that crosses our doorway.

My philosophy in action
My day always starts with a class meeting where we talk about our day, what we have to accomplish, any special events, etc. Also a part of our morning meeting is either giving compliments based on good character traits, sharing a headline, which is an important event in their own life, or solving a problem if we have a classroom problem we need to solve. These 20 minutes of our day are the best-spent time to set the tone for a caring, learning environment. From that point, we are primed to delve into the challenges of learning. We have created a safe environment where risk-taking is not only accepted but also encouraged. Children are given control of their own feelings, strengths and concerns. They learn to advocate for their needs and take responsibility for their own actions. I am a supportive, caring facilitator of their learning. I will be a safety net, but also encourage them to take that leap that will guide them to new learning.

My greatest teaching accomplishment
I have received many different awards and honors throughout my teaching career, but I honestly feel my greatest teaching accomplishment is my passion for my students and the fact that I send them home each day feeling a little better about themselves than when they walked in that morning. What more could a teacher ask for?

The most critical issues facing educators today
I think our most critical issue is how to blend what we believe is best practice, in recognizing student growth and learning, with state and federal mandates, which only look at standardized testing results.

Ways to resolve this issue
We need to be advocates for this best practice and work with our legislators and our state departments to inform them of the realities of us out working in the field. We need to be calm, firm and professional and have evidence that supports our position. We need to show samples of what we feel is more reflective of true student growth rather than just being a complainer of the way things are.

One thought to inspire teachers to succeed
You are the expert in your classroom when it comes to the needs of your students. Be that advocate for them as you may be the only one they have.

One lesson every student should learn
You need to learn to care for others while at the same time learn to be an advocate for yourself. It is a fine line at times, but such a valuable lesson for life!

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