1. The Buzz: 2021 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year
|
|
At the October 20 meeting of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, Commissioner Riley announced that Jennifer Hedrington, who teaches seventh grade math at the Ferryway School in Malden, is the 2021 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year. Ms. Hedrington attended the meeting with her husband, Jamaal Hedrington, and their two sons, Isaiah and Ethan.
Ms. Hedrington is in her 16th year of teaching secondary school mathematics and her 10th year of teaching in Malden. She works hard to develop lessons that promote higher order thinking skills and that encourage her students to explore mathematical concepts, and she also teaches her students’ whole selves. She takes time for “commercial breaks” during her math lessons to discuss issues that are affecting the school or larger community. She supported students when they spoke to the School Committee to address racist incidents, and she has delivered professional development presentations about trauma-informed classrooms. One year, she created the League of Distinguished Gentleman to promote participants’ engagement and growth in their community and school.
In addition to Ms. Hedrington, the finalists for this year’s award were:
- Kelley Brown, a social studies and government teacher at Easthampton High School;
- Alicia M. Lopez Nieto, an English learner teacher and curriculum leader at Amherst Regional Middle School; and
- Laverne Mickens, a third grade teacher at the Rebecca M. Johnson School in Springfield.
The semifinalists were:
- Danielle Charbonneau, an English teacher in the Project Vine Alternative Program at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School;
- Whitney Cleary, a fifth grade science teacher at the J. Turner Hood School in North Reading;
- Diana Kinney, a fifth grade teacher at Cottage Street School in Sharon;
- Adele McCarthy, a seventh grade English teacher at Lester J. Gates Middle School in Scituate;
- Victoria Miles, a math teacher at Middleborough High School;
- Luis Rosado, a sixth grade math teacher at UP Academy Leonard, part of the Lawrence Public Schools;
- Sheila Slawiak, a digital literacy/digital citizenship and computer science teacher at Wilbraham Middle School; and
- Matthew Williams, a culinary arts teacher at Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School in Upton.
In lieu of an in-person celebration, this year, DESE plans to release a brief video featuring Ms. Hedrington, the finalists, semifinalists, the Massachusetts History Teacher of the Year, finalists and winners of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, and the state’s most recent Milken Educator Award winner.
|
|
2. Get Involved: November Share-a-Thon
|
|
Our Center for Instructional Support invites teachers of all grade levels and subject areas to our November Share-a-Thon. This is a chance to share and learn strategies, resources, and best practices for remote and hybrid instruction and learning with a particular focus on student feedback strategies. The Share-a-Thon will start with a glimpse into the classrooms of two featured teachers in different content areas. This will be followed by a chance to discuss the ideas shared and more. Participants will then have an opportunity to join content-alike colleagues for a broader discussion of feedback strategies within their discipline.
We will hold two Share-a-Thons, one on Tuesday, November 17 and one on Thursday, November 19, both at 3:30 p.m. Teachers are welcome to come to either or both. Please register online by Monday, November 16 and come ready to share resources and strategies for giving student feedback!
|
|
3. FYI: Help Implementing Civics Projects
|
|
The Center for Instructional Support is offering a Civics Project Network for teachers, administrators, department heads, and educator prep faculty who did not attend a previous civics project network. Using the Civics Project Guidebook (download), this network will help participants understand the defining characteristics of high-quality, aligned, student-led civics projects and plan for project implementation in grade 8 and high school, as required under the state’s 2018 Act to Promote and Enhance Civic Engagement.
Participants will attend two virtual, regional meeting in the winter, with optional virtual support forums throughout the year to share implementation successes/challenges and to support each other.
All meetings will be virtual and will run from 3-5:30 p.m.
- Session 1 meetings will be held between November 16 and December 4.
- Session 2 meetings will be held between December 14, 2020 and January 8.
More information, including a link to registration, is available online. Anyone with questions can email Cecelia Spencer.
|
|
|
|
