Each year the Centennial Education Association searches for the Centennial Teacher of the Year. The program is designed to honor one teacher to serve as a year long representative of all the great teachers in our district. We ask members of the Centennial community, students, parents, Centennial staff and friends of the school to help in the selection process by nominating a teacher who they feel would be a good ambassador for our school district. Candidates must have had five years of successful teaching experience in the district and have made contributions to their school, community and their profession. The Centennial Education Association Committee will contact the nominees to see if they are interested in compiling a Teacher of the Year Portfolio, which will be required for them to apply for Minnesota Teacher of the Year.
Technology is key for Teacher of the Year
This year’s Centennial Teacher of the Year, Dr. Diane Joseph, experiments with technology by seeking out and trying new technology to meet the needs of students who are deaf/hard of hearing (HH). As the district-wide coordinator for all students (birth through transition years) who are deaf/HH, she advises, consults, advocates for, and provides what is needed regarding deaf and HH services. Diane says the “students get to know me pretty well by the time they go through the district, as I follow them all the way through, oftentimes first teaching them in their homes.”
She says her job is, “challenging, invigorating, and gives ample opportunity to try something new.” After 28 years of teaching (20 in the Centennial School District), she “continues to learn something every day, finding computer use can make my students’ work visual, more meaningful, and more exciting. Motivating students is exciting, and I have employed the use of technology on my road to doing that.”
Examples include making sure all her students “meet” the other students through the Photo Booth on her laptop. Since her students are spread all around the district, she says, “It’s a great way for the students to see others’ new, brightly colored ear molds or new hearing aids and to find out they’re not the only deaf/HH student in the district.”
Diane also enjoys sharing real-life stories with her students and is expanding her storytelling to the SMART Board. She finds ways to encourage writing, and learning of language and communication by making learning understandable, fun and visual. “That helps us keep upbeat and learning,” she notes.
Diane has served as guest lecturer at conferences, classes, and meetings on a variety of topics; served on and facilitated committees on the district, state and national level; and consulted.
Selected by the Centennial Education Association, Diane will serve as Centennial Teacher of the Year for 2010–11, and apply for Minnesota Teacher of the Year honors.
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2010
Centennial Teacher of the year
Dr. Diane Joseph
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Click for a list of previous Centennial Teachers of the year
(We are missing a few, let us know if you can fill in the blank years.) |
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