“The best part of my day is closing the [classroom] door and teaching,” says Stephanie Maynard, English teacher at Woodford County High School. Stephanie, who has known since childhood that she wanted to be a teacher, explains that daily student interaction is the most rewarding part of her job. Mrs. Maynard finds it extremely important for her students to not only enjoy their time in her class but to genuinely want to be reading, writing, and learning.
For this to occur each day in her classroom, Stephanie is very intentional about her role as the leader of the class. She likens this to the responsibility that athletic coaches have to create cohesion and form relationships within their teams. In fact, Stephanie has studied how coaches do this by reading several books by John Calipari, Rick Pitino, Mike Krzyzewski, and various NFL coaches. Similarly to a coach supervising their players on the court or on the field, a teacher has to manage people, space, and time in their classroom. In the case of high school, Mrs. Maynard explains that the teacher must find a balance between being the adult in any given situation and also guiding students to learn how to handle various situations.
Developing this type of classroom environment allows for meaningful, positive relationships and an appreciation of learning. Mrs. Maynard remarks, “My favorite place in the building is my classroom because we work hard on building community...It’s rewarding because you feel like you’re giving them a positive experience.”
To further strengthen her classroom environment and to enhance her own skills and practices as a teacher, Stephanie decided to pursue her National Board Certification. The reflective nature of this certification process allowed Stephanie to really consider the areas of her craft that she wanted to adjust. For example, through the process, she decided that she wants to incorporate more diverse assessments for her students. She explains, “Best practice is to make kids show us what they know in a more authentic way. Are we making the kids reflect on their own learning and assessing themselves? For me, the assessment piece was a big eye-opener, so I’ve really worked on changing that in my classroom.”
Mrs. Maynard is transforming her evaluations of student learning in a really bold, exciting way. She says, “My seniors, for their next unit, are going to choose their own assessment...I’m going to let them decide. Maybe it’s an art project of some sort, maybe an essay; they get to choose. They will write a prospectus, so it’s very adult and academic. They will create a rubric for themselves.” She adds, “It’s an experiment because at some point you have to dive in and try.”
Through the certification process, Stephanie became aware that this area of teaching was something that she wanted to revamp. She says, “National Board gave me permission to value the right things.” Stephanie elaborates by explaining how helpful the big picture mindset of National Board is for teachers. Through evaluating practices such as unit planning and approaching state standards, the National Board Certification process “changes the destination of where you want the students to end up and how you go about doing that.” It helps deepen the intentionality behind everyday classroom happenings.
Mrs. Maynard is extremely grateful for the opportunity to have pursued her certification in Woodford County Public Schools. She says, “I was very much supported by our district. I had release time to work on things. I had teachers who, out of the goodness of their hearts, gave me feedback on my material before I turned it in...
I really do feel that the intention of Woodford County High School and Woodford as a district is that we want whatever is best. We’re doing the right thing.”
We are thrilled that Stephanie is part of our team and that she felt encouraged and supported to pursue her certification. It is exciting to see how this process has influenced and strengthened her. We know that our students will benefit from her experience for years to come. Thank you for your hard work, self-reflection, and intentionality, Stephanie! Congratulations on becoming a National Board Certified Teacher! We are so proud of you!
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