Teacher of the year focused on ‘Leading by Learning’

The summertime gives students an opportunity to take a break from the daily grind of the classroom. But for Alabama Teacher of the Year Jennifer Brown, learning doesn’t stop when the school year ends.

Brown, a Vestavia Hills High School science teacher, took part this summer in more than a dozen professional development opportunities from Montgomery to Washington, D.C. She delivered a keynote address at a middle school summit, presented to teachers at a reading and writing conference, and even moderated a statewide Twitter chat on education.

Brown says the nonstop schedule gave her the opportunity to learn from her colleagues and grow as a teacher.

“It’s been so much fun sharing with teachers,” Brown said. “I love it because I get new ideas. I’ve learned so much from every session I’ve been in. It is our duty as educators to share with other educators. Times are changing and our students are changing, so we have to learn new strategies every year. That’s the only way we’re going to grow.”

One of the strategies Brown and a group of her colleagues developed last year was “instructional rounds,” in which teachers visit each others’ classrooms to observe and collaborate. Brown said the concept is similar to doctors’ rounds in a hospital. She hopes to grow the project full-time in the coming year as an instructional coach at Vestavia Hills High School.

“We’re calling it ‘Leading by Learning,’ because we’re leaders in our classroom and we’re learners, too. I’ve already had teachers approach me about new things they want to implement in their classrooms this year, and now I’m going to get to help them with that,” she said.

Brown will continue traveling and speaking statewide throughout the coming months. She’ll keep on learning, too, as she works this fall to earn the distinction of being a National Board Certified Teacher.

“A teacher has the opportunity to impact the life of every student who walks through his or her classroom door,” she said. “If we expect to make a lasting, positive impact, we have to make an effort to be better than we were the day before, just as we expect our students to do.”

-Submitted by Whit McGhee