DODDS-Europe recognizes
districts' top teachers of the year
By Rick Emert, Stars
and Stripes
Courtesy photo
Janet Price, Heidelberg district teacher of the year, works with some of her kindergarten
students at Hainerberg Elementary School. |
Just about everyone with some level of education has had at least one
teacher who made them want to go to school, made them want to learn.
In Europe, six such teachers from Department of Defense Dependents
Schools were singled out as the best in their districts earlier this month, after being
nominated by parents, their peers or administrators from their schools.
The district-level honor earned them consideration as the best
teacher in the Department of Defense. That title, however, went to Jolene Jenkins, who
teaches seventh grade language arts at Mahaffey Middle School, Fort Campbell School
District, Ky.
The winners for the six districts in Europe are as follows:
Kaiserslautern
Name: Frank Nosal
Nosal |
School: Ramstein Elementary and Intermediate schools
Subject or grade: Educational technologist (computer
skills)
Years teaching for DODDS: 22
Nosal teaches computer skills to both students and teachers at
Ramstein’s elementary, intermediate and middle schools. He was nominated for the
title because of his approach to teaching the sometimes frustrating topic.
“He’s very nonthreatening,” said Judy Allen, principal
of Ramstein Elementary School. “He approaches it as something they can do. He’s
very dedicated and puts in a lot of long hours.”
Nosal said he got into teaching because of his experiences as a
child.
“My experience with learning was that it’s not always easy
for children to learn,” he said. “I believe that all children can learn, they
just have to have time to learn.”
Nosal said he appreciates being recognized in his district, but that
more teachers should be recognized.
“A lot of teachers don’t get recognized for what they do
simply because they don’t get nominated,” Nosal said. “I feel good about
being recognized, but every teacher is a ‘teacher of the year,’ because they all
work hard and do a lot for their communities.”
Heidelberg
Name: Janet Price
School: Hainerberg Elementary School
Subject or grade: Kindergarten
Years teaching for DODDS: 21
Price became a teacher to spread her love of learning.
“I love learning and encourage children to love learning and to
love school,” Price said.
She said her everyday rewards come from her students’ successes.
“It’s rewarding to me when someone sees the light,”
she said. “It’s the hugs and the positive attitudes about coming to school. I
became a teacher to do that.”
Hainerberg Elementary School Principal Julie Gaski said teachers and
parents alike have noticed Price’s dedication to learning.
“She has great creativity and love for what she’s
doing,” Gaski said. “You can see it in what the children bring to the classroom
each day — smiles and a willingness to learn.”
Price said she was humbled at receiving the teacher of the year
distinction.
“I’m honored to be representing hundreds of teachers who
like making a difference in children’s lives,” she said. “For me teaching
is a hobby and a career. I’m thrilled to represent so many great teachers.”
Würzburg
Name: Jan Bennett
Bennett |
School: Hohenfels High School
Subject or grade: Language arts and reading
Years teaching for DODDS: 11
“I wanted to see if just one person really could make a
difference, change the world,” said Bennett of why she became a teacher.
Her teaching style makes learning fun for her students, said
Hohenfels High School’s principal, Maureen Belanger.
“I’ve seen the work going on in her classroom, and see the
kids really enjoy being there,” Belanger said. “I really admire her creativity
and the energy she puts into teaching.”
Bennett said it’s energy well spent.
“I think the most important thing that I get out of teaching is
when my students come to me and say: ‘I hated English before I came to your
class,’” Bennett said. “I love seeing the light bulb come on when they get
it.”
So can one person change the world?
“Yes, little by little anyone can change their corner of it,
anyway.”
Brussels
Name: Bobbie Greenawald
Greenawald |
School: Brussels American School
Subject or grade: English as a second language
Years teaching for DODDS: 19
Bobbie Greenawald was attracted to teaching because of her
third-grade teacher, who also happened to be her father.
“It was very different to see him in the role of teacher,”
Greenawald said. “From that time on, I admired teachers and wanted to be one.”
Now, Greenawald teaches international students at the Brussels
American School.
“It’s very rewarding to see students from different
cultures learn American cultures and values,” Greenawald said.
Greenawald has done much more for her school than just teaching,
however.
“She has completely revamped the ESL (English as a second
language program),” said Ben Briggs, principal of Brussels American School.
“Since we’re close to NATO, we have a lot of non-English speaking students. Ours
has become a model program because of her.”
Greenawald said she shares her teacher of the year title with other
teachers.
“It’s a great honor,” she said. “I feel all
teachers are dedicated and work hard. We are a profession very dedicated to our
work.”
United Kingdom (Isles)
Name: Anita Lang
Lang |
School: Lakenheath High School
Subject or grade: science
Years teaching for DODDS: 8
Lang got into teaching because of her interests in science and
acting.
“I’ve always seen myself as a frustrated actress who wanted
to have a captive audience,” she said. “I have a real love for science, and I
wanted to share it with others.”
Lang has the ability to make those “captive audiences”
learn science, said Bill Diesselhorst, principal of Lakenheath High School.
“She doesn’t let her students fail; she makes them
achieve,” he said. “She’s a wonderful individual, and she does a lot for
her students and the whole school.”
And Lang gets a lot from the students and school.
“I get a lot out of the one-on-one interaction with all the
people I meet,” she said. “I’m very much a people person, and that’s
one thing that means a lot to me.”
Lang said she’s still learning.
“I learn things from the students every day,” she said.
“I think the kids keep me young. They teach me new ways of looking at things.”
Mediterranean
Name: Nancy Hottinger
Hottinger |
School: Aviano High School
Subject or grade: 9th grade English and journalism
Years teaching for DODDS: 10
Teaching wasn’t a childhood dream for Nancy Hottinger.
“It would be nice if I could say I used to sit my dolls and
teddy bears down and teach to them as a child, but it didn’t happen that way,”
she said. “I didn’t think about becoming a teacher until college.”
She said two of her professors inspired her to teach.
“I decided that if I could touch people the way they touched me,
that it would be very rewarding.”
And she spends her days, lunch hours, evenings and weekends doing
just that, according to Douglas McEnery, Aviano High School’s principal.
“She’s the kind of teacher who spends her entire lunch hour
working with students if they need her,” he said. “She’s here late at night
and on Sundays helping the students make corrections and put out the school
newspaper.”
Hottinger left her teaching career for several years to have a child
and work as a journalist, but she couldn’t stay away from teaching.
“Nothing is as rewarding as teaching,” she said.
She said the teacher of the year award is representative of all
teachers.
“I’m honored but very humbled,” she said. “I feel
I am a symbol for all of my colleagues who go to work every day to make a difference in
the world.”
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