SARAH BROWN WESSLING 2010 NATIONAL TEACHER OF THE …programs.ccsso.org/content/pdfs/2010NTOYAPP.pdf · EMPLOYMENT HISTORY Johnston Community School District, Johnston, Iowa. •

2010 National Teacher of the Year Page 1 Sarah Brown Wessling

SARAH

BROWN

WESSLING 2010 Iowa Teacher of the Year Johnston High School Johnston, IA

School profile: Suburban Students in district: 5700 Students in building: 1250

Teaching area: English Teaching level: 10 - 12

Years in teaching: 11 Years in present position: 10

M A K I N G A D I F F E R E N C E – S H A P I N G T H E F U T U R E

SARAH BROWN WESSLING

2010 NATIONAL

TEACHER OF THE YEAR


II. Educational History and Professional Development Activities: DEEPENING THE LAYERS ACADEMIC BACKGROUND

Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. Master of Arts, August, 2003. • MAJOR: English. Specialization: Literature. • THESIS TITLE: Using Literary Theory in an Advanced Placement English Classroom. • AWARDS:

o Excellence in Research for Master's thesis, 2003. o Albert Walker Excellence in English Award, 2003. o Critical Writing Award (for critical scholarship), 2003.

Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. Bachelor of Arts, Graduated with distinction, May 1998. • MAJOR: English Education. • Honors:

o Phi Beta Kappa Liberal Arts and Sciences Honor Society, 1998. o Mortar Board Honor Society, VICE PRESIDENT, 1997-1998. o Phi Kappa Phi International Honor Society, 1997-1998. o Kappa Delta Pi, FOUNDATION REPRESENTATIVE, 1997-1998. o Golden Key National Honor Society, 1996-1998. o Dean's List: 1995-1998.

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

Johnston Community School District, Johnston, Iowa. • High School English teacher, 1999-present. • Department chair, 2003-present. • Courses taught (Grades 9-12): Advanced Placement Literature and Composition/DMACC

Dual Credit, Myths and Legends, Experiences in Writing, Applied Communications, Sophomore English, New Start English, Freshman English.

Cedar Falls Community School District, Cedar Falls, Iowa. • High School English teacher, 1998-1999. • Courses taught (Grades 10-12): Intermediate Language Arts, Creative Writing,

Contemporary Reading.

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS Iowa Council of Teachers of English (ICTE). Member, 1998-Present • ICTE Executive Board: PRESIDENT, 2009-Present. CONFERENCE CHAIR, 2006-Present.

SECRETARY, 2000-2006. • Summer Writing Symposium: COORDINATOR AND CO-TEACHER, 2009. • State Conference PRESENTER: 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005

National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), Member, 1998-Present. • NCTE High School Literary Magazine: STATE COORDINATOR AND JUDGE, 2000-2006. • NCTE Regional Affiliate Conference (Iowa Representative): June 2000, 2007, 2008 and

PRESENTER 2008. • NCTE National Conference PRESENTER: 1998, 1999, 2008. • NCTE Affiliate Leader MEETING FACILITATOR, 2008. • NCTE Centennial commemorative film: READER/ACTOR, 2008.

Johnston Education Association/National Education Association. Member, 2003-Present. International Reading Association. Member, 1998-2003

STAFF DEVELOPMENT LEADERSHIP ACTIVITY State of Iowa, Department of Education. • Iowa Core Curriculum, Professional Development WORK TEAM, 2009-Present. • Iowa Core Curriculum, MODEL UNIT WRITER, 2007-2008. • Iowa Core Curriculum, MODEL UNIT REVIEWER, 2007-2008.


Johnston Community School District. • Reinventing High School, CHOSEN COMMITTEE MEMBER, 2002-2003. • School Improvement Facilitator, 1999-2003. • School Wide Assessment Team, 2000-2003. • District Literacy Team, 2000-2003 and 2007-Present • NCA School Improvement Endorsement, VISITING TEAM MEMBER, 2001.

Johnston High School. • Professional Development Team, 2007-Present, CO-FACILITATOR, 2008-¬2009. • Building Improvement Team, 2000-Present. • English Department CHAIR, 2003-Present. • Rigor and Relevance, SELECTED COMMITTEE MEMBER, 2006-2007. • Differentiation Committee, SELECTED MEMBER, 2007-2008. • Smaller Learning Community, PILOT PROGRAM TEACHER, 2004-2006. • Reading Leadership Team, TEAM LEADER, 2003-2005. • High School Literacy team, TEAM LEADER, 2001-2003. • Technology Mentor, 2000-2003. • MIALT committee, SELECTED MEMBER 2000-2003. • Tech Cadre REPRESENTATIVE, 2000-2002

The College Board. • Advanced Placement Literature and Composition selected reader for national exam, 2003.

Heartland AEA Technology Infusion Collaborative (TIC). • Presentation for district technology leaders, 'Enhancing Literacy: Technology in the Language Arts Classroom," 2007.

LEADERSHIP ACTIVITY IN TRAINING OF FUTURE TEACHERS

Johnston Community School District. • New Teacher In-Service PRESENTER, 2001-present. • BEST (151 year teacher mentoring program), CO-FACILITATOR, 2005-2007.

Johnston High School. • New teacher mentor, 2004-2007. • COOPERATING TEACHER for practicum students from four area colleges/universities: nearly every semester since fall

2000. • COOPERATING TEACHER for student teachers: 2003 and 2005.

Iowa State University. • Guest lecturer for pre-service teachers in technology courses: each semester, 2007-present. • Guest speaker at ISU student affiliate meeting of Iowa Council of Teachers of English, 2009. • Guest speaker at English Education methods classes, 2000. • Publication. Brown Wessling, Sarah and Susan Kimball. "Mentoring to Avoid Burnout." Mentoring Across Boundaries:

Helping Beginning • Teachers Succeed in Challenging Situations, In J, Boreen and D. Niday. Portland: Stenhouse, 2003. 135-153.

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION OF TEACHING

• 2009 Iowa Teacher of the Year • Iowa Governor's Scholastic "Favorite Teacher Award" Recognition, 2004 and 2009. • AEA 11 Iowa Core Curriculum Network, Recognition for work in creating a DVD highlighting characteristics of effective

instruction, • 2009. • National Board Certified Teacher in English Language Arts/Adolescence and Young Adulthood, 2005 (10 year

certification). • Johnston High School "Top 3% Dinner" Favorite teacher, Recognition 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and

2009. • Selected speaker (voted on by senior class) Senior Breakfast 2002, 2003, 2006, 2008 and National Honor Society Induction

speaker, 2007. • Future Leader in Education Award, Iowa Council of Teachers of English, 2001, • Promising Teacher Award, Iowa Council of Teachers of English, 1998.


III. Professional Biography: PASSION, PURPOSE AND PROMISE

I see the world in stories. I relish in the transformative power of language that can divide and

unite us. When I look in a classroom, I see a story in every learner, unique and yearning to be read.

Creating a community for learning means creating more than a classroom; it means constantly

intertwining our stories in a way that reveals our potential. Becoming a teacher was never a choice for

me, rather a realization of something I must have always known. I was meant to be a teacher, but

hadn't realized it when I went to college in search of my passion, following the course of many different

majors: Broadcast Journalism, Psychology, Philosophy, and Literature. In each, I found excitement

and promise, but not myself. Finally, and quite suddenly, it dawned on me that I could pursue all of

these disciplines each day as a teacher. With my compass clearly defined, the divides collapsed and

my path was illuminated. I read and thought fervently about the psychology of learning, the philosophy

of learning and the lessons literature offers about the human experience. I've long known that my story

of learning and teaching has never really been about me. My students would tell you, time and again,

that it's my passion which permeates the classroom atmosphere each day and makes them want to

join in. They would tell you that I worked to see the potential in each one of them that they couldn't see

in themselves. Though I could say my greatest contributions come from a published article, a

successful in-service, an NBCT certification, a department I've led, or a state conference I've

orchestrated, it wouldn't be true. My contributions are my students.

Meredith: Quiet, yet diligent; confident, yet reserved; talented, yet unbeknownst. Meredith

and I met when she entered my Freshman English class. Even then, I saw in her this insatiable desire

to learn and the seeds of a person who could inspire others. Meredith already owned many skills; what

she needed was confidence and patience. I needed to let her flourish at her own pace when the

situation was right. I still remember her final project at the end of that year, a portfolio, accompanied by

a map of her learning and watching how she so acutely recognized how each assignment served as a

building block for the next, how she had seen her thinking and writing evolve, how she was already

setting goals for her future. I eagerly welcomed Meredith into my class again as a sophomore where I

began to see her take intellectual risks, and by the time she was a senior, Meredith had settled the

awkward self-consciousness of early high school. She was ready to find her voice. Over the course of

her senior year of English, I quickly differentiated my instruction for her, but I still needed her to see

what I saw: a force of intellect couched in determination and insatiable curiosity. More than anything, I

remember how Meredith's questions changed that year. Instead of asking "what,” she asked "why,"

instead of asking “why" she asked "why not," instead of asking "why not" she asked "what if."


That spring she was honored in the Iowa Governor's Scholastic Recognition program and invited me to be her Influential teacher.

At the ceremony, her mom turned to me and said, “When Meredith and I talked about whom to invite, she told me it was an easy choice –

Ms. Wessling, she taught me how to think." After a successful undergraduate and graduate experience, Ph. D. programs were clamoring for

Meredith. However, I proudly sent to her that freshman portfolio so that she would remember her gifts as she walked into her own classroom

this fall as an 8th grade teacher.

Tyler: Troubled and angry; intelligent and formidable; lost and scared. To see the scope of learning, I have long taught a spectrum

of ages and abilities. Several years ago I taught New Start English where the 28 students who had failed Freshman English came to me,

disengaged and disgruntled, each with a story that seemed to explain why. To stay positive, I ate lunch in my room so I could respond to a

daily journal I had started with each student. Then, just before they would arrive, I would remind myself what I liked about each. One

particularly troubled student, Tyler, wielded an uncanny power over his peers. They knew he was smart, both in mind and experience. He

was their hero, the tough and seemingly confident person they all wanted to be. In many ways, understanding Tyler meant understanding

the class. I discovered through these daily journals that Tyler loved to draw and for several weeks I invited him to bring in some of his

artwork until he finally did. One day, he came into the room, angrier than usual, but calmed by his art. At the end of class he took his sketch,

complex in emotion and execution, and tacked it to the bulletin board. Later, my AP class came in and aptly noticed the new addition. They

immediately recognized in it the literary archetypes we'd been studying. I quickly grabbed a pile of sticky notes, asked the students to write

down their thoughts and post the notes on the illustration. The next morning before school I had the office call Tyler into my classroom where

I had a note ready for him: "The greatest measure of an artist's worth is the impact he can make on others. Look what you've done," I

nodded towards his illustration. That afternoon he put another one up and received more sticky notes. Soon after, I discovered how many

artists I had in class, all wanting feedback on their work. It became routine -- my at-risk learners posted their artwork, my AP learners

responded to it. This didn't magically transform my 5th hour class, but those kids, Tyler especially, came and said hello nearly every day for

the next two years as they struggled time and again, just to graduate.

Hannah: Exceedingly intelligent, but unmotivated; gregariously confident, but bored; fiercely alternative, and misunderstood.

Teachers will inevitably encounter the reluctant student. Instead of meeting them with frustration or an admonition that they aren't living up to

their abilities, I've always had a special affinity for their teenage angst. Hannah is one of a large cadre of students who walk through my

doors each day, just sure that school is merely perfunctory, a means to an end. I love challenging these learners to recognize that while

school may be a game to them, learning is something entirely different: it empowers and liberates. The ELP teacher sent me this email

about Hannah early in the school year: "Just wanted to let you know. You've lit a fire under a student no one has really been able to reach

during her high school years. Hannah cannot stop talking about what she's learning with you and it's great to see some enthusiasm from her

for something academic.” At the end of an intense project, Hannah came rushing to my room at the end of the day with product in hand and

said, "It is for the love of Wessling that I actually finished this." Underlying this quip lies a truth: reluctance isn't reticence when our

classrooms become places of acceptance and promise. I've learned these stories sustain our classroom culture when a set of twins entered

my classroom last fall, looked to each other and said, "We're finally here. Now, it's our turn." My greatest contributions are my students and

their stories. In them, the constancy, diligence, and truth about my teaching find voice.


IV. Community Involvement: PARTNERSHIP OF SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY

My work in the community is a direct extension of my classroom, demonstrating an effort to

break down traditional walls that divide these natural allies. Schools and communities shouldn't just co-

exist; they should be symbiotic using each other as resources to achieve a common purpose: creating a

generation of self-actualized learners, ready to wield their passions in an effort to contribute to a

democratic society.

I have sought ways of opening my classroom walls to the larger community in which we live. As

part of an independent reading program, I invite all kinds of readers (businesspeople, clergy, government

officials, public personalities) to come in throughout the year to talk about 'what's on their bookshelf.' As

students listen, read and respond in letters, they are able to see reading as a life-long habit that respected

adults enjoy. In addition to bringing in guest speakers, I've created the "Grant Proposal Project" for seniors

in which the concept of community is instrumental. Upon finishing a thematic literature unit on the

American dream, student groups create non-profit organizations that would benefit those in our community

who are unable to achieve their American dream. Students engage in inquiry methods that enlighten them

about our city. The project culminates with community members that create a grant panel who reads the

grants students have written, ask them critical questions in a group interview, and ultimately determine

whether or not to fund their project. The result of this seven-year experience has been inspiring for me to

watch. I see students becoming more altruistic because of their research. I see community members

spending hours in preparation to create an authentic audience. Most importantly, I see all of us learning

because of our common goal.

On numerous occasions I've taken the classroom to the community as a voice of our department, school, and district. Whether it

was to increase graduation requirements, "reinvent" the high school concept, or propose an entirely new English curriculum, I have been a

liaison to the community, willing to listen, to talk, and to learn in order to best serve our students. Several years ago, a group of parents

raised concerns about three books in our English curriculum. Over the course of two school years, I took part in countless meetings to be the

voice of students, teachers, and parents who refused to have three texts removed entirely from our curriculum. In advisory meetings,

specially formed committee hearings, public school board forums, and a myriad of other requested conversations, I learned to respect my

community while still tirelessly advocating against censorship. All three books stayed in our curriculum and instead of gaining enemies, our

school forged pathways for stronger communication with the community.

I've also helped to promote an important and reciprocal relationship with the Johnston Public Library. I have sat on our library's

advisory committee and thoroughly enjoyed an opportunity to take a group of students to a special conversation with author Sonny Brewer. I

met with students on a regular basis before school to help them prepare, not just to sit quietly and listen to him speak, but to truly engage in

a conversation with an author. In each of these cases, I have recognized the community's potential to enhance student learning. I live in, am

raising a family in, and am committed to this community.


V. Philosophy of Teaching: CANDLES TO BE LIT

When my seniors walk into class on the first day of the year, I don't give them a syllabus; rather I

invite them to join a circle of their classmates on the floor. I hand out a copy of Plato's Parable of the

Cave," light a candle, and tell them that by the end of class they need to be able to tell me the course

expectations. This anecdote, like the candle in the center of our circle, serves as an acute symbol of my

philosophy: learning must be learner-centered, it must be constructed, and its power already resides in

each person.

Every single person who walks into my classroom becomes part of our landscape for learning.

Being a learner-centered teacher means respecting who students are right now. This means creating

community by building a shared purpose and values. Cultivating this kind of environment begins when I

relinquish the notion that I have a right answer or that I am a sieve of knowledge. At once, this liberates

and challenges students. They recognize that their model is one of inquiry, of questioning, of thinking.

While I am careful to construct the parameters of our pursuits and relentless about modeling processes for

learning, we are unequivocally in it together. By truly putting students at the center I can foster meaning-

making experiences for all learners.

Students construct knowledge when it is relevant to them, when they have a real and authentic

purpose, when they have an audience that gives them context. Giving students a reason to construct

knowledge gives students more of a desire to be challenged, to exceed their own expectations. I think

students are more engaged when their purpose is clear and when they see their own passions, questions,

and motivations reflected in their work. In each of my classes, you would see learners constructing

knowledge through rigorous and relevant inquiry experiences. Students in New Start English might be

creating their utopian school by generating surveys, composing a learner's Bill of Rights, rewriting the

course descriptions, and composing a school song to match their school's mission. Sophomores read non-

fiction books in literature circles, record their discussions and create Public Service Announcements that

educate about an issue from their reading. Applied Communications students create essential questions

about the role of work in society to guide their research. Later, these students compose philosophies of customer service that they then put

to use when challenged to function as an employee of TIP (Travel Incentive Professionals) to investigate, create, and evaluate a

performance incentive program for their client. My elective writing class composes multi-genre papers and creates podcasts to practice the

research process before writing a more traditional piece. My Myths and Legends class creates a superhero for today using all the concepts

we've studied throughout the course. Using a mock Facebook page and nominating the character for "Hero of the Year," each student gives

an acceptance speech as that hero to receive his reward. My AP students go beyond the traditional curriculum of literary analysis and

constantly work to apply literary theory in order to become literary critics. They create storyboards for a film trailer which must convince their

audience of a particular "reading" of a film they've studied in seminar groups. They participate in the Grant Proposal Project and culminate


their year with a standards-based final portfolio and exit interview. Creating innovative learning experiences provides important context and

motivation, but the real teaching resides in the nooks and crannies of each unique learner's process.

And this is where you'd find me at my most intense and deliberate. To me, the learning process is sacred ground in whatever I'm

calling my classroom. Because of my own willingness to metacognitively engage in the learning process, to put myself in the same positions

I put my students and reflect on the way learning occurs, I recognize that the path to autonomous learning is not through the accumulation of

facts, but through the messy and edifying pursuit of ideas. Knowing my students means I must know how they learn, the kind of feedback

they need, when to nurture, and when to step aside. My most important teaching happens in the least obvious places. It's in the conferences

I have with students about their writing; it's when l spend the class period questioning, probing, supporting the ideas that might guide a

particular project; it's in the think-aloud I do after I realize students didn't "get it" yesterday; it's in the

copious feedback I give to the work students do as I work towards creating the kinds of learners who don't

need me anymore. I want students to take intellectual risks, so I give them plenty of chances to fail without

penalty. I use assessment to scaffold progress, not to debilitate learners. Perhaps one of my most

successful strategies incorporates IPod technology. While in some classes I record our in-class

conferences, for others I create individual podcasts for each student on each major paper outside of class.

As I'm reading their papers, I note places for comments and then record my responses to their writing. In

this way, I'm able to completely personalize their feedback. I can motivate, question, respond as a reader,

or explain why you'd want to change the passive voice in one paragraph, but leave it in another. I

distribute the sound files by email or flash drive to students who then listen and record my feedback on an

action plan for revision I call the GREASE monkey (Grammar, Rhetorical strategies, Evolution of paper,

Ask questions, Strengths, and Encouragement). Students tell me that they not only listen to these over

and over, but parents tell me they listen too. One parent, a judge in our community, came to a

parent/teacher conference and was so excited about the podcasts that he said, 'my writing has gotten

better by listening to what you tell my daughter."

There's no ranking for the rewards in teaching: it can vary from a student coming to class five

days in a row to my grade-obsessed student who is willing to take the chance of getting a "B" to pursue an

intellectual risk.

The constant is that there's progress, no matter how minuscule. The reward is in recognizing

and providing what a student needs today to become self-actualized tomorrow. Others would say that my

teaching is outstanding because everything – from the first day to the last day is deliberate and

purposeful, because I see both a broad vision and the small details, because I believe everyone can learn,

because I'm ceaselessly learning myself. I would say that I'm lucky. I'm lucky to have found my passion

and a way to express it each day.


VI. Education Issues and Trends: DISPOSITIONS FOR A 21ST CENTURY LEARNER

I often do guest lectures at Iowa State University in a Technology and Instruction course for pre-service teachers. Each time, I

begin and end with a challenge to the students: "You're going to be teaching in the 21st Century, but are you going to be a 21st Century

teacher?" Most of them quickly look to their laptops, BlackBerries or Pods, certainly all indicators of being a 21st Century teacher. I then

demonstrate how their favorite technologies can be tools towards student achievement, but should never be the culmination of an authentic

learning experience. I advocate for and illustrate a learner-centered pedagogy. Unlike the picture of this pedagogy we too often create for

teachers, this philosophy means creating a web of rigorous content, real-world experience, and inquiry-based experiences around the

learner. The teacher, too, becomes part of the web, a force of purpose, guidance, and curiosity. The teacher, too, must be a learner, an

expert on process and metacognition. This essential question I pose is but a microcosm of the question being posed in our society today.

While our profession must contend with a myriad of issues and trends — revisiting teacher preparation, brain-based education, the P-16

movement, maintaining arts education, the debate over the effectiveness of homework, contending with "digital natives," or meeting the

demands of NCLB — not one seems more sweeping as the role of cultivating 21st Century skills.

Contrary to current rhetoric, neither these skills nor call to action is new. In fact, we can look to Ancient Greece and find the same

issues in the debates between the Sophists and the Socratics. While the Sophists advocated for a dispensation of skills and techniques that

would allow them to succeed in society1 (Brogan and Brogan 288), the Socratics kept their emphasis not on the content but on the why and

how of learning. In the midst of the 21st Century Skills discussion, we find ourselves debating strikingly similar positions. Advocates of the

movement would suggest that today's students aren't prepared for the kind of problem-solving, critical-thinking, or globalization necessary in

today's changing world. Critics contend that adopting a set of skills with such national vigor would be "a distraction from the more important

work of teaching core content" and "water down standards and weaken teaching"2 (Silva 630).

It seems as though in many ways the 21st Century Skills buzzword has gained some sort of panacea status. Presidential

candidates, local elected officials, school administrators, parents, and teachers alike are using this term as evidence of innovation. While

innovation is crucial, the motto seems to be in direct response to a culture of education where the pressure of international rankings mounts,

where NCLB has created anxiety-ridden environments, and where large-scale standardized assessments cause schools to focus on discrete

skills and facts instead of complex problems. Yet, we only have to look to John Dewey to assure us that the dichotomy of content and skill,

facts and projects is unnecessary: "schooling must provide genuine situations in which personal participation brings home the import of the

material and the problems which it conveys"3 (Dewey 233). In other words, as Kari Taylor notes: "personal experience serves as a

prerequisite for full comprehension of the facts....[that] experience is a means to an end, and the end is comprehension"4 (20). We must

recognize the importance of teaching that marries content to skill. Without skills, students are left to memorize facts, recall details for

worksheets, and relegate their educational experience to passivity. Without content, students may engage in problem-solving or team-

working experiences that fall into triviality, into relevance without rigor.

1 Brogan, Bernard R., and Walter A. Brogan. 'The Socratic Questioner. Teaching and Learning in the Dialogical Classroom: Educational Forum 59 (Spr 1995): 288-96. 2 Silva, Elena. "Measuring Skills for 215tCentury Learning.° Phi Della Kappan May (2009) 630-4. 3 Dewey, John. Democracy and Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education. Toronto: Collier•Macmillan Canada, 1916. 4 Taylor, Kari B. °A Gathering of Great Minds: Designing Twenty-First Century Education with Twentieth Century Ideas' About Campus 10.2 {2005)17-21


Instead, we are looking at an opportunity to synergize the margins of this debate and find them coalescing into a framework that

dispels the dichotomies. Thus, I contend we must start with our language. We can't capriciously talk about 21st Century Skills when we

should be deliberately talking about 21st Century Learning with the full knowledge that this means hearkening to cornerstones of the past to

help us navigate our future. Embracing a 21st Century Learning model requires consideration of those elements that could comprise such a

shift.

Move from skill sets to dispositions. Relying on skill sets to create a standard for learning leaves out crucial aspects of the

learning process. The notion that a learned skill is easily transferable is a misnomer. Skills without the complexity of their counterparts,

content, and context, leave us with the potential for superficiality and students who are programmed, but not genuine thinkers. Rather,

creating dispositions of problem-solving or critical thinking means that students must engage fervently as a means to greater understanding

and comprehension of any given content.

Recognize and cultivate communities of learners. All learners — students, teachers, administrators — need the profession to

collapse the hierarchal pyramids that inhibit the potential of learning communities. Whether it's the students who learn to use the strengths of

each other to create a solution to a complex problem; a teacher who orchestrates communities within her classroom; or an administrator

who implements a professional learning model where teams of teachers meet regularly to enhance their craft, "the hallmark of positive

natural communities is the ability [of each] to bring their intellect as well as their emotions to the mutual creation of knowledge" (Taylor 19).

Communities create dispositions.

Nurture calculated risk-taking. Socrates called it "perplexity," Piaget suggested "accommodation," and Vygotsky termed it "zone

of proximal development," and many involved in 21st Century learning dialogue call it "calculated risk-taking." Regardless of the chosen term,

we must find ways to provide appropriate cognitive dissonance for our learners. In that cognitive space between uncertainty and knowing

lies those dispositions that empower learners: problem-solving; critical-thinking; collaboration; and tolerance for ambiguity. The desire to shift

learning from what to how and why requires our willingness to capture teaching models that nurture a paradigm shift.

Invest in teacher training. We can't expect to shift paradigms if we don't re-conceive of teacher preparation programs. Countries

like Finland helped to de-centralize education when they invested in teacher programs that would make teachers skillful in teaching for deep

understanding (Hammond and McClosky 266). The greater our investment in teacher preparation, the more confidence we can place on

local autonomy, thus a stronger fusion of content, critical thinking dispositions, and assessment for learning.

Change the way we view assessment. Elena Silva reminds us that too much testing has narrowed the curriculum (632). Further,

Linda Darling-Hammond and Laura McCloskey's research shows that the United States emphasizes "externally developed, machine-scored

instruments" which offer little opportunity for teacher engagement or for students' analysis, solutions or ideas5 (271). Certainly changing a

national culture of assessment that relies on external, standardized exercises to one that incorporates complex and multi-faceted problems

with extended responses is vast and has infinite implications. It took countries like Finland, Sweden, and Australia over 30 years to make

such a transformation. Yet, a serious discussion about 21st Century Learning mandates a shift in how we define, use, and learn from

assessment.

Creating learners — students, teachers, administrators — confident in these dispositions is crucial for any century.

5 Darling-Hammond. Linda and Laura McCloskey. "Assessment for Learning Around the World: What Would it Mean to be Internationally Competitive?" Phi Delta Kappan December (2008) 263-272.


VII. The Teaching Profession: EXPANDING THE SCOPE

In a time of insatiable social networking, Nings and Twitter, it's difficult to believe that teachers could be isolated. Yet, all of this

immediate technology seems to shroud an underlying hierarchical paradigm of schools that keeps teachers in proverbial "egg crates."

Isolation often leads to mediocrity and mediocrity to burnout; thus, as a profession, we must actively resist isolation and vigorously pursue

interdependence among each other. When I consider my impact on the teaching profession, I recognize my efforts to weave intricate

patterns of interdependence and camaraderie, creating communities of learners.

Creating communities starts with forging personal relationships. Learning from those who have been mentors to me, I have

opened my classroom doors countless times to observers, practicum students, and student teachers. These important collaborations always

leave me with a more reflective practice. I've taken this same perspective to effectively collaborate with my departmental colleagues.

Although our high school doesn't use official titles, I serve as the department chair and in this capacity I've taken pride in moving our

department away from a hierarchy of seniority as the basis for decision-making to a more egalitarian approach of leadership. While this shift

may seem rather insignificant, it has helped to create the kind of environment that values all voices and has allowed more significant

changes to occur. With the help of my vision and leadership, we’ve offered 15 new courses beginning fall of 2009 which align with the Iowa

Core Curriculum. Students will engage in courses that, by design, enable them to encounter an integrated approach to learning. Each

course is thematic, guided by essential questions, and integrates strands of literacy: reading, writing, speaking, viewing, and listening while

embracing fiction and non-fiction, along with various modes of writing. I am overwhelmed when I see renewed passion in a veteran teacher,

or budding confidence in a new teacher. Our model of innovation in literacy education has the potential to guide others across the state

approaching similar endeavors.

If my departmental colleagues recognize me as innovative and intuitive, then the rest of our staff sees me as an influence and a

catalyst. As a long-standing member of the Building improvement Team and newly-formed Professional Development Team, I've been

integral in developing professional learning for the staff. Whether it was the paperless writing lab I created, the teacher portfolio system I

helped conceptualize and implement, or the model for teachers to each build their own professional development action research, I have

pushed our staff to recognize their strengths and challenged them to think in more deliberate ways about their teaching practice. I've

mentored other teachers to take on leadership roles, knowing that each time he or she does so, it diminishes the hierarchy and widens the

network. Above all, I'm committed to modeling the kind of professional learner necessary to a thriving school. I listen, I advocate, I question, I

read, I think, I share, I change, I am open to criticism, I never forget the student, and on the toughest days I'm optimistic that frustration will

lead to greater understanding.

I've found that the wider my network becomes, the more committed I am to making the implicit, explicit. The more I learn from

others, the more resolute I am in helping teachers share not just what they do, but how they do it. Serving on various district-level teams

afforded me the opportunity to function as the co-facilitator of BEST, our district's mentoring program for first-year teachers for several years.

I relished in the challenge of creating entrance into the kinds of formative conversations new and veteran teachers could use to anchor their

partnerships. Perhaps I've had the broadest influence through my work with the Iowa Council of Teachers of English. As Secretary,

Conference Chair, and now President, I have committed to enhancing the profession on the state level. In some bold moves, I've


successfully revised our conference model and made it a two-day conference with both traditional breakout sessions and more in-depth

workshops. We've been able to capture a surge of new attendees and make strides to capitalize on current technologies with a new Internet

presence, including a wiki and Facebook. The changes in the conference and in my new presidency uphold my belief in the necessity of

ever-widening networks. I've also assisted Iowa Core Curriculum teams in writing and reviewing model units. Heartland AEA assembled a

film crew to capture my teaching of the Grant Proposal Project in order to construct a DVD demonstrating the five characteristics of effective

instruction as part of the Iowa Core Curriculum. I am thrilled that my story may help to make the implicit, explicit and enhance the experience

of teachers and students alike.

I've dipped my toe in communities that extend beyond our state. Whether I've formed relationships through the network of National

Board for Professional Teaching Standards, learned from others as an AP exam reader, shared as a presenter at the National Council of

Teachers of English annual convention, or through publication, I can ameliorate my experiences into an evolving perspective. Recently, I

was invited to co-present at a Regional Affiliate NCTE Meeting with Carol Jago, current NCTE President, on ways to energize state affiliate

conferences. With each experience, I am reaffirmed about the power of listening and learning from those around me.

It is in this vein that I see the necessity for a shift in accountability within the teaching profession. In order to be innovative, in order

to change, teachers and administrators must be able to take calculated risks to enhance student learning. Without such systemic

consistency, we will remain driven by standardized test data that seldom impact daily teaching decisions. The most effective accountability in

teaching will come from professional learning communities of peers that value improvement over sanctions. If we aim to measure teachers

or students by standardization alone, we've left ourselves with a culture of sameness that doesn't create equality; instead, it creates

mediocrity. We must shift our focus to the dispositions and actions of highly effective teaching and learning. Cultivating teachers who

possess such habits of mind, we must use performance-based systems that go beyond test

scores to reward and create models of effective teaching. Redefining teacher accountability

means redefining professional learning. We need to look to models where small groups of

teachers consistently work together with a commitment to improving student achievement.

These examples illustrate that sometimes my direct impact on the profession is

quiet, like the pebble whose orb is subtle, but still generates change. Other times, my impact

is more profound, like the stone whose presence on the water is powerful enough to create

a surge of learning. Ultimately, the goal is not for me to find more pebbles or stones to toss

in the water; rather, it is to empower others to make their own ripples and space in the lives

and learning of others.


VIII. National Teacher of the Year

If you were to ask teachers what they wanted more of, most likely you wouldn't hear

'money," or "status," but you'd certainly hear "time." Other than our students themselves, it has

become our most precious commodity. I stopped wearing a wristwatch several years ago. It's not that

I have an aversion to the silver chain link, but I didn't need any more reminders (the daily bell system

provides sufficient indication) of my biggest nemesis. But teachers have the uncanny ability to find

time in its best hiding spots and create moments of great purpose and clarity. Instead of lamenting

that there's never enough time, I see teachers creating the kinds of lessons that make students

exclaim, "Time just flew by!' Instead of complaining that they just can't find the time, I hear teachers

asking, "What time did you go to sleep last night?" Teaching today requires a breadth and depth of

commitment that we ask of only our most essential professionals.

Yet, the challenges in front of us are as poignant as ever and are creating a sense of

urgency in teachers that "the time is now" for creating more authentic learning experiences, for

preparing students to compete in a global economy, for cultivating professional learning communities

that nurture deliberate decision-making, for ensuring that we use assessment for learning. If awarded

the Teacher of the Year designation, I would use my year to pursue how schools, teachers, and

students are dealing with these challenges. Rather than seeing myself as a tourist, I envision my work

more akin to that of a travel writer: full of inquiry and observation, design and curiosity, recording and

writing. Whether it's a blog, a series of podcasts, a collection of my findings or a combination of these

modes, my goal and challenge is to use my time not to catapult me out of the classroom, but to bring

new understanding and questions back into the classroom. It would be my mission that this year's

work would give back to the classroom teacher and to the profession.

While I'm never hesitant to challenge myself, likewise, I wouldn't miss an opportunity to

challenge others in and around the profession to consider what they will do with the time they have, to

see what their personal contribution would be in the next year. Perhaps it's a commitment to renew

the passion that fuels student engagement, to look in the rearview mirror and locate what makes

them excited about teaching. Perhaps it's a refusal to fight time and start embracing each moment as

a capsule of potential in even the most reticent learners. Perhaps it's a promise that each day with

learners will be time well spent in pursuit of deep conceptual knowledge and understanding; a

melding of learner dispositions. Perhaps it's a pledge from the community to become a partner in

learning. Regardless of the declaration, we must utilize a web of interdependence to make learner

autonomy timeless.


(LETTER OF RECCOMMENDATION #1)

October 26, 2009

Dear National Teacher of the Year Selection Committee:

It is my honor and the honor of countless other students to recommend Sarah Wessling for the National Teacher of the Year. These former students shared their memories and acclaim for Sarah in scores of pages and paragraphs. Alas, I can only include a few lines from the many in gratitude and praise of her. Each letter spoke of Sarah's respect, expertise, kindness, and love for her students and education. We agree—Sarah Wessling is the ideal candidate for National Teacher of the Year.

With Sarah, for at least one period a day, we were in a place where learning was "cool." Sarah's expectations were high, yet walking into her classroom; it was obvious we would find a caring, open-minded individual eagerly awaiting our arrival.

"Ms. Wessling was meant to teach, a fact evident to everyone who has participated in one of her classes... No discussion was fruitless, no assignment was pointless, and not one day was boring. [N]o matter how hard we worked, she was working harder." Arra Beganovic, 2009

"I never felt more empowered as a student... Not because what we were studying was easy, but because she made every one of us feel like anything we contributed was invaluable.” Cog Gagne, 2008

Yet another impressive trait of Sarah's classroom was her ability to make it feel like a community. Frequently, we worked with our peers on group projects or in-class assignments. This group work helped us get to know other students in the class, and because of this, made us feel at ease in sharing our ideas and thoughts, even over challenging and intimidating texts. Further, Sarah broke those barriers of the reading and pushed us to connect to characters, experiences, ideas, and more that reached far beyond our tiny bubble of school.

"An unspoken promise existed that [Ms. Wessling] would leach, mentor, and help every [student] through the end of the semester academically, personally, and beyond" Kelsey Hyde, 2007

With the welcoming environment created by Sarah, even a passive student written off by others (and, possibly themselves), became an active learner, participating in discussion, offering opinions, and coming alive in class. Because of her infectious passion for the subject, not only did they enjoy class, but saw it as exceedingly valuable in their educational journey.

"I had a very difficult time learning to read. I was far behind my peers; so far behind that I had to receive assistance from the district's Special Education staff... Over the course of [Sophomore English] ... her positive energy and encouragement helped build my self esteem to the point that I became confident in my ability to learn again... She took an underachieving student that struggled through remedial reading in second grade and transformed him in to someone with the confidence to go to college and now graduate school. I think that is a remarkable achievement for any educator." John Lund, 2003

"She played a large role in helping several students to graduate, battling defeated attitudes and instilling hope in students malty had given up on." Kiley Dewhurst, 2007

Today, I am fortunate every day to be in a department that is lead by this teacher, who carries that same notion of learning being "cool." I am lucky to work with this teacher, who resolutely shows her expectations of excellence, but still is compassionate to each and every student who encounters her. I am privileged to work with this teacher, whose philosophy of education is one that constantly works to redefine what it means to teach.

Above all, as my teacher, Sarah pulled out the person who was hiding inside me; she was the individual who saw me as capable, passionate, and someone who could do anything they wanted. More, she made me believe it, too. I cherish her belief in me still, for it continues without hesitation or possibility of ever leaving—for myself or any student past, present, and future that is to know Sarah.

Sarah Wessling is a teacher who shows her love for learning in the classroom and beyond, who enables her students to be the best version of themselves, and who teaches with the utmost enthusiasm and passion for her subject and students. With this, Sarah Wessling is the most deserving candidate for National Teacher of the Year.

Sincerely, Rachel Mullen 2003 Graduate of Johnston High School, Current Johnston High School English Instructor



JOHNSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY

Recommendation for Sarah Wessling as National Teacher of the Year

I am pleased to write in support of Sarah Wessling as National Teacher of the Year, because I believe she is one of our nation's finest educators. As a library director and a parent, I am very familiar with her passion for teaching, her emphasis on creative and critical thinking, and her unique ability to connect with students.

To obtain a broader perspective concerning Sarah's effectiveness, I gathered input from six other members of the community who were also parents of Ms. Wessling's former students. The input from these parents described how instrumental Ms. Wessling has been in their children's education. Their testimonials, along with my own personal observations, reinforced consistent themes.

• Ms. Wessling provides unique and challenging assignments that help students develop both life skills and skills for success in advanced studies. For example, her AP English students go through an innovative exercise where they make grant requests to a fictitious "Society for the American Dream." The assignment requires the students to work together in teams, research real life situations, and develop carefully-written plans and budgets following the guidelines of the assignment. The students are required to present their proposals to a panel of professionals from the community. The panel provides feedback to the team and relays the decision on whether or not their project would be funded. The students are not graded on the funding decision, but are evaluated on their teamwork, analysis, preparation, written and visual documents, and oral presentations. All of these skills are critical as students leave high school and enter advanced education or the workforce. The exercise also draws upon the expertise of community members and builds a bridge between young people and adults in the local area.

• Ms. Wessling cares about each student as an individual and challenges each one to be the best that he or she can be. Several parents cited examples of how different their child’s learning styles were during high school. Sarah knew how to challenge the students who excelled in order to make their work even better. She also devoted additional time and attention to encourage the students who did not have a lot of confidence in their scholastic abilities. Every parent who provided input said that Ms. Wessling was their child's favorite teacher, and they also indicated that their children recognized that the lessons learned in Ms. Wessling's classes were invaluable as they continued their education. My own son said Ms. Wessling has a special way of encouraging high school students to challenge their own ideas and actually discuss what they are thinking. Sarah's ability to reach each student is both a skill and a gift.

• Ms. Wessling is a role model for future educators and life-long learners. Many of us can look back in our lives and pinpoint the people who influenced our career choices and our love of learning. Due to her excellence as a mentor and teacher, Sarah has instilled this in her students. I was impressed at the number of parents who indicated that their children were either studying to become educators or had already graduated and were teaching in the classroom. Ms. Wessling also exemplifies life-long learning through her attainment of her Master's Degree and National Board Certification. She uses the library regularly, participates in reading club, and encourages all of her students to expand their knowledge beyond the classroom. For example, Sarah worked closely with the Johnston Public Library when we had an author from Alabama visit our community. In addition to the students in her classes, she extended an invitation to any high school students who were interested in a unique opportunity to interact with the author. Ms. Wessling held several discussions prior to the event. When the students met with the author, they were very well prepared to ask thoughtful and insightful questions. I mentioned this to Sarah following the event, and she said she wanted the students to gain this experience so that when they had an opportunity to hear other authors, either in college or in other settings, they would know what a positive experience it could be.

Ms. Wessling incorporates elements of our state's Core Curriculum in her classroom on a daily basis. Her leadership, vision, dedication, innovation, and advocacy for students make her an outstanding candidate for the National Teacher of the Year. As one parent put it, "If we could clone her in every high school the world would truly be a better place for all students." Willona Graham Goers Library Director, Johnston Public Library



Sarah Wessling is clearly a head learner among us in our profession of education, as Roland Barth (1990) would offer, and this trait, among so many others she models, is why Sarah should be designated 2010 National Teacher of the Year. This letter of professional recommendation for Sarah Wessling is the culmination of thought from educational colleagues in Sarah's present and past, and from me, a Heartland AEA 11 consultant assigned to Johnston High School (in Johnston, Iowa), who has worked side-by-side with Sarah for three years. As Sarah's fellow JHS teacher Melissa White put it, "Writing this letter is like being a kid in a candy store—thrilled to have the opportunity but needing to choose wisely to fit all the praise in a limited space!"

Sarah is like no other teacher I've ever met in 28 years of teaching, leading, and supporting high schools. In fact, each time I work with Sarah, I come away with a sense of amazement at her learnedness and scholarship, her deep conceptual and procedural knowledge of integrated language arts, her profound devotion to and expertise in facilitating learning at the highest levels for each and every one of her students, her true grasp of professional learning and how educators learn best, her high degree of self-reflection, and her energy. I learn from her each time I'm with her, and this could be perhaps one of the greatest advantages of having Sarah become a young National Teacher of the Year—her passion, enthusiasm, and knowledge of our profession could allow her to be a superlative role model for newer and seasoned teachers while young, rather than the situation that sometimes occurs with a Teacher of the Year soon retiring.

Sarah has a natural gift for teaching, many colleagues agree. It manifested itself very early; as a very young college student, as Dr. Michelle Tremmel from Iowa State University tells us, Sarah handled a difficult middle school student situation in a nuanced and sensitive way. From her days ten years ago as a student teacher, former cooperating teacher Vicki Goldsmith, herself a 2005 Iowa Teacher of the Year, offers no-holds barred praise for Sarah and her understanding of and passion for teaching. Sarah student taught groups of discouraged, at-risk, marginalized ninth graders and AP Literature and Composition—the full range of student ability and motivation in teaching assignments. Vicki says, "Sarah not only rose to the challenge, but taught me new strategies as well. I remember the day she arrived with bags of shoes from Goodwill, visual aids to inspire a writing project, and the day she arrived with apples as part of her plan for teaching Milton's Paradise Lost. No matter the level or subject matter, Sarah knew how to engage students." Engage them she continues to this day. A project Sarah leads called "The Grant Proposal Project" models the essence of what effective, engaging, student-centered instruction is about, and in fact, as of Spring 2009, has become the subject of a Heartland AEA 11 DVD which will help teachers across Iowa understand what the characteristics of effective instruction from the Iowa Core Curriculum look like in practice.

Others recognize her talents and her willingness to seek students who struggle. Bruce Hukee, her principal at Johnston High School, states, "Sarah has high expectations, but I don't know many other teachers that do as much to help students. She makes herself available before and after school, she differentiates instruction with students, and she demonstrates flexibility. I have had Sarah volunteer to teach some of the lower-level English classes; she does a fantastic job with the struggling students in these classes," Dr. James Casey, Associate Superintendent in the Johnston District, states, "Sarah has the unique gift of raising the achievement level of those around her—students, fellow staff members, and administrators."

Sarah reaches outside her school to effect positive change in education. She serves her profession as current state president of the Iowa Council of Teachers of English. Her colleague in ICTE, Bonnie Romine, notes that Sarah is a positive, dynamic leader who creates and organizes conferences such as "Framing the View: Strategies for Teaching the 21st Century Reader." Bonnie states she never saw a more involved, enthusiastic group as the teachers who attended the Fall 2008 ICTE conference, directly as a result of Sarah's leadership. Further, as professor and author Dr. Donna Niday of Iowa State University tells us, Sarah co-wrote, with Dr. Niday, a chapter about being a young teacher in the co-authored book Mentoring Across Boundaries: Helping Beginning Teachers Succeed in Challenging Situations. To give yet another example of Sarah's reach, Dr. Niday tells us that Sarah, just this June 2009, launched a state-wide, first-ever, two-day symposium for high school, community college, and four-year college teachers to discuss similarities and best practices for teaching composition at the secondary and college levels. Dr. Niday says the event was so well received that attendees requested it become an annual event,

Dr. Robert Trammel, Professor of English and Coordinator of English Education at Iowa State, offers three defining components of Sarah's abilities: she is a leader; she is a brilliant classroom teacher; and she is an accomplished teacher educator. Dr. Tremmel reminds us that Sarah has earned National Board Certification. He notes that he has seen in her classroom literature circles and the multigenre research paper. He, along with the rest of us who have been in Sarah's classrooms, sees that her classes are highly student centered and based on students' active participation in their own learning, hallmarks of highly effective instruction.

We, all of us, offer that Sarah is the best of the best in teaching. A dominant theme that comes through, from colleague after colleague, is that Sarah, like her inquiry-based assignments, is the complete package of what every teacher should aspire to. She brings impressive skills in instruction, in diplomacy and public relations, a balance of youth and experience, and indefatigable energy, all of which are key to someone successfully inhabiting the shoes of the National Teacher of the Year. Sarah has an uncanny ability to concentrate and be fully present to those she comes in contact with—whether one student or colleague, a room of students, or a hall filled with conference attendees. She has the ability to see and hear, to understand things that others miss. Her ability goes far beyond the usual expectations we have for good teachers practicing their craft. There is not a single aspect of professional practice in which she does not perform at the highest level. Although doubtless there are a number of worthy candidates for 2010 National Teacher of the Year, there cannot be a single one more qualified than Sarah Wessling.

Becca Lindahl, Professional Learning & Leadership Consultant, Heartland Area Educational Agency 11, Johnston, Iowa

Documents

SARAH BROWN WESSLING 2010 NATIONAL TEACHER OF THE …programs.ccsso.org/content/pdfs/2010NTOYAPP.pdf · EMPLOYMENT HISTORY Johnston Community School District, Johnston, Iowa. •