INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Four of the five schools who have Teacher of the Year finalists are in Sebastian and Fellsmere, the fifth finalist – from Gifford – calls Sebastian home. It’s a first in recent memory that all the finalists represent the northern portion of Indian River County, either by school or by home.
“This year it just happened to be” that four of the schools represented are in the north part of the county, said 2012 Teacher of the Year Rachel Serra, who teaches fourth grade at Vero Beach Elementary. “This doesn’t discount the work by central and south county teachers.”
The finalists are Speech Language Pathologist Jody Houston of Fellsmere Elementary, Fifth grade single gender boys teacher Sara Murto of Sebastian Elementary, Eighth-grade math teacher Karah Widick of Sebastian River Middle, Band Director Ashby Goldstein of Gifford Middle, and 10th grade English teacher Kerri Wall of Sebastian River High.
Earlier in the school year, teachers nominated from each school made presentations about their classroom work to a scoring committee. The top 5 finishers were then asked to answer more questions and and to have a class session videotaped.
“It was a shock,” Fellsmere Elementary Speech Language Pathologist Jody Houston said of hearing she was a finalist – it was a sentiment shared by her fellow finalists. Houston has 52 students in her caseload and works with a team handling 62 in total, determining if their command of speech is a matter of poor articulation or lack of understanding the English language itself.
What she is finding is that more children – regardless of their ethnicity – are struggling with basic language skills, often because they spend too much time playing videogames, watching TV or playing on the computer and not enough time verbally communicating with those around them.
Being named a finalist hasn’t changed what Houston does in the classroom, but it has forced her out of her comfort zone and into the spotlight. “I’m shy,” she said.
And as much as she’d like to take credit for her work in the classroom, Houston said her recognition is a testament to those who shaped her. “You want to bring everyone with you who got you here,” she said.
Sebastian Elementary’s Sara Murto teaches a fifth grade class of boys, a class she taught last year as a fourth grade teacher – so she’s watched the progress of this crop of 21 students.
In becoming a single-gender teacher, Murto had to do her own homework and trained with teachers at Fellsmere Elementary, which, until recently, had its own single gender classes. Her research pointed to distinct differences between boys and girls and helped explain why boys tend to have difficulty focusing on the task at hand when forced to stay seated and still.
Murto explained that boys’ blood begins to pool below the knees, which affects blood flow to the brain, causing them to start zoning out – to combat this, they need to move around.
It’s something she encourages in her classroom – which helps them stay focused on their assignments despite the potential for distraction.
“What does it take?” she asked of teaching an all boys class, “lots of patience.”
As for being named a finalist for Teacher of the Year, Murto begged off the title.
“Just about every teacher I know deserves to be where I’m at,” she said. “Everyone I know around me” is deserving.
As a finalist, Murto said she’s using the position to continue advocating for students.
“I’m as outspoken as I’ve always been,” she said, adding that she is trying to highlight both the challenges teachers face as well as the hard work teachers do. “We all do these wonderful things on a daily basis,” she said.
Karah Widick, eighth grade math teacher at Sebastian River Middle, credits her nomination to the work she has put into professional development at the district level.
“Education is really changing right now,” she said, adding that she’s working district-wide to get out in front of those changes and demonstrate for fellow teachers.
As a math teacher, Widick said her challenge is to help her students eliminate their math-based anxiety and boost their self-esteem, helping them set attainable goals and serve as a mentor before they transition into high school.
She is finding that more and more students are signing up for the honors geometry class, a testament to the district’s increased focus on improving math achievement in the lower grades.
“The whole system has improved,” Widick said.
Widick added that her school in general has a distinct culture amongst those in the district.
“We have such a unique population of students and a unique population of staff,” she said. “I feel very lucky to work here.”
Gifford Middle School is the only non-north county school to make the Top 5, but its finalist, Band Director Ashby Goldstein, lives in Sebastian.
“I think the committee selected those candidates of quality teaching,” Goldstein said. “Geography doesn’t have anything to do with it. There are great teachers all over.”
He credits his nomination to his students, who continuously improve and perform wonderfully, he said, noting that the various bands at Gifford Middle have received numerous awards and accolades over the last few years.
Goldstein hasn’t had much time to reflect on being named a finalist, as he’s rehearsing his bands for upcoming performances and competitions.
“I just keep my head down and keep doing what I’m doing,” he said.
Goldstein’s philosophy for teaching comes down to expectations – set achievable expectations and keep raising the bar. “I believe students achieve more when the expectation is there,” he said.
Sebastian River High 10th grade English teacher Kerri Wall thought it was a joke at first when she found out she was named a finalist. She had forgotten that the finalists would receive a classroom visit that particular day – and when her door opened, she was surprised.
“I work with some amazing people,” she said. “It’s surreal.”
The students in her class thought they were off the hook for an exam they were about to take – but Wall went back to business as usual after the fanfare died down.
“I have no idea what makes me special,” Wall said when asked why she thought she made the finals. “I do it for the kids, not the paycheck. When you love what you do, it shows. I love teaching. There’s nothing else I’d rather do.”
Growing up, Wall knew she was not going to be a teacher. The daughter of two teachers, she knew firsthand the amount of work that gets brought home, how it’s not a 9-5 job, how there are no summers off. She went to college and graduated with an English degree. “I was going to write something and get paid for it!” Wall said, laughing at the memory.
Life happened and Wall ultimately became a teacher – for her, the challenge is to make the writings of the past relevant and exciting to the present. She finds that music is often the link.
For her, the thrill of teaching comes from the students’ self-discoveries, the “ah-ha” moments.
“It’s an honor to be a finalist, but the district is full of wonderful teachers,” she said.
On Feb. 13 the school district selection committee will convene to review the packets and videotapes and choose a county winner, just prior to the Teacher of the Year Gala at 6:30 p.m. in the Vero Beach High School Performing Arts Center.
“We don’t want it to leak,” she said of the winner’s name. “You can’t hold that secret in too long.”
The Indian River County winner will “compete” against the winners of the other Florida school districts, state colleges and Department of Corrections. State winner will then move on to the national competition where five will be considered for U.S. Teacher of the Year.