Delaney Schad is the 2024 Winner of National Teacher of the Year!

A: I will invest in my students by purchasing sensory items, random rewards, and other items to calm and help focus my students. I will also invest in more continuing education to further assist me in teaching this unique population of students. I would be honored to help my fellow Teacher of Tomorrow, Ms Bryon Lott in her classroom as well.

A: One of my favorite things to do is give my students projects that immerse them in the text and allow them to use their talents. When we completed the reading of the Great Gatsby, students were given a choice of two projects. They could compose and deliver a eulogy for Gatsby, selecting music, flowers (digital display), choosing which character they wanted to be or putting themselves in the novel. The other choice was to draw a map and label areas of significance in the book and explain the importance of what took place in the specified area. My students thoroughly enjoyed learning about literary devices, dynamic speaking voices, humor, music and floral arrangements in eulogies. The students who opted for the map project are aspiring artists. I loved watching them use various artistic abilities to express how they felt about certain elements of our novel and their interpretation of scenes as appeared in their minds. My students took this assignment very seriously and were very proud to turn in their work.

A: $5,000 could go a long way for my classroom. I would put it towards multiple scientific apparatuses that can be used for complex science experiments for both Environmental and Forensics. I would love to buy class sets of different organelle slides as well as tissue samples in order to give students a hands on approach to these subjects through out the year through the use of microscopes. I would also love to purchase a couple fish tanks so that I could set up realistic biomes of what our waterways in Florida look like including, freshwater canals, saltwater reefs and brackish estuaries. Lastly I would love to use these funds to purchase different audio books and courses in order to become a better educator myself.

A: One of my favorite lessons of the year is the pig dissection. I started doing these dissections when a I questioned a group of students who told me they had never dissected anything before. These students were able to dissect a fetal pig under my direction. It was a great introduction to our quarter lesson about the human body and the function of organs. Students were able to get their hands dirty and dive into a whole bunch of gunk in order to find the organs and label them accordingly. Many students were nervous at first but quickly warmed up to the idea of dissecting the pig. After the lesson, students had a better understanding of the positioning as well as the function of important structures in our own body as well.

A: I intend to use the scholarship fund to expand the learning environment and (professional and cultural) experience; to create more accessible ways of delivering a complete, rigorous education; to recognize and empower students’ confidence and morale, and to improve the circumstances for learning. Professionally, I will use the funding to enroll in professional development courses that will promote insightful and innovative professional training and growth. Furthermore, it will allow me to bring and incorporate fresh teaching methods and strategies into the classroom. This includes encouraging creative teaching and learning paradigms, as well as providing and extending learning possibilities. Academically, I plan to use the funds to purchase classroom enrichment activities, school supplies, and motivational videos that will inform and encourage additional learning experiences and provide more educational resources. Motivationally, lastly, but certainly not least, a portion of the funds will support extracurricular school activities, including school clubs, student fundraising initiatives that support family and community fun events, family night programs, field trips, and to boost student academic morale by acquiring edible and tangible incentives for use as motivational tokens in the classroom. Thank you for this amazing opportunity to meet the needs of students and their families, improve the quality of educational and professional experiences, support professional development, and encourage aspiring teachers to enter this esteemed and long-lasting field of teaching.

A: I find great inspiration in each of my students’ individuality and the level of energy they bring to class. To accommodate their schedules and meet them where they are, I have come up with some unique ways to make learning fun and rewarding. This, in my opinion, may have a long-lasting impact, helping students to constantly remember who they are and develop into outstanding role models in their communities, schools, and homes. Here are a handful that sometimes endure for weeks and last us the entire day. Our classroom theme, “I believe,” urges students to identify connections between the theme and what they are learning. This offers a chance for thoughtful introspection and setting expectations for the class. When we embrace our differences and celebrate our commonalities, our capacity to discuss our cultures, families, and life experiences as a class becomes an educational experience. Additionally, this serves as a continual reminder that, while every one of us has our own personality, we are all part of a larger community of individuals. After everyone has completed the “I believe” statement and hung it on the classroom tree, we discover that we have an amazing ability to adapt to one another throughout the day. I wrap up the class by having the students complete the sticky wall. They can only take an encouraging phrase off the wall if they write one for a buddy. This becomes the norm, and it benefits everyone involved.