VEISHEA Opening Ceremony with the National Teacher of the Year
Sarah Brown Wessling is the 2010 National Teacher of the Year and a Johnston High School language arts teacher. Her comments will focus on inspiring life-long learning in students. Wessling holds both a bachelor's degree (1998) and master's degree (2003) in English from Iowa State, where she also completed the teacher licensure program. She has taught at Johnston High School for ten years.
[b]Worthy Learning: Students Are [i]Worth[/i] the Learning That Is [i]Worth[/i] Doing[/b]
Educators sit on the precipice of worthiness every day, tenuously balancing the needs of learners with the demands of a worthwhile learning experience. Overcoming this challenge means meeting students where they are, each day. When students see their questions, motivations, and passions reflected in their work, they will understand its worth and move to exceed even their own expectations. When teachers individualize instruction, teach with passion, and seek innovation, they model the kind of lifelong learning that reveals potential and promises self-reliance. Teachers will secure the learning processes that won’t just defy cloistering paradigms, but envision new ones.