A Teacher Reflects

Author: Andrea M. LaRocca

Everyone has a favorite teacher - including the United States. In fact, in 2001, Middlebury Union High School (MUHS) history teacher Michelle Forman was America's favorite teacher. In other words, she was elected National Teacher of the Year (NTY), which is the oldest and most prestigious teaching honor in the country. Two years later, Forman is back to teaching at MUHS but is also still reflecting on her time as the 51st NTY.

"Being National Teacher of the Year was the most intensive course in education that I could imagine," said Forman last Thursday at an informal discussion of her NTY term. The event, which took place at Ilsley Public Library, was an opportunity for people to talk to and question Forman about her NTY experiences. Several teachers - ranging from professors to elementary school teachers and from long-retired teachers to teacher education majors - were present. Many were interested in what Forman learned about pedagogy and about education throughout America.

For her part, Forman had answers to all the questions and plenty more to share, including many anecdotal stories and a wealth of knowledge about the NTY program and the current status of education. She began, however, by first explaining how she became the 51st NTY and what the title entails. Forman outlined the NTY program and explained how a teacher of the year is chosen from each state (methods of selection vary by state) and then "compete" against the other 56 states and provinces for the NTY title. Once an NTY is selected, he or she is honored at the White House and then goes on a year long tour throughout the country to give speeches about being NTY and to represent the NTY organization at various schools and organizations.

Forman also acted as an educational ambassador to schools in Singapore and Japan for a few weeks, an experience she described as eye-opening for both parties. Forman clarified that the NTY term is indeed a year out of the classroom and that it is a whirlwind tour - she was only home for a few days out of every month of her NTY year.

Despite her hectic schedule, Forman said that she would not trade that year for anything. "Even when I was running around, even when I missed my students, even when I missed my family, I was thankful for every second of the experience." She did, however, mention that she wished she had been able to get into the schools more often during her tour. Forman told several motivational stories of the few schools that she was able to interact with, and expressed that these were some of the best moments of her tour.

The most important lesson that Forman said she learned during her NTY term was simple: "how much people love teachers." She mentioned that nearly everyone has a teacher that impacted his or her life in a positive and unforgettable manner, and as NTY, she said that she was in the best position to witness America's devotion to its teachers. "People, strangers that I didn't even know, would come up to me just because I was NTY and tell me about the amazing teacher that they had in third grade that changed their life. At first it was daunting and then I realized that it just meant that there are amazing teachers out there and that these strangers telling me their story is their way of thanking those teachers."

Forman concluded the discussion by saying that she was glad to be back in the classroom and to be able to apply what she learned during her NTY term. "I emerged intensely optimistic about what I'd seen - I saw amazing schools, amazing teachers, amazing administrators."

That kind of staying enthusiasm from such a dedicated teacher is what gives education its own reason for optimism.