Back to School: Baltimore City's Teacher of the Year has tips for a new year
BALTIMORE -- The first day of school is just around the corner for most districts in Maryland. There are a lot of ways for both students and teachers to approach the clean slate of a new year, so Tim Williams spoke to one of the best teachers in Baltimore City for some advice.
Jared Perry, a music teacher at Booker T. Washington Middle School for the Arts, is Baltimore City Public Schools' 2023 Teacher of the Year.
Along with teaching middle schoolers, he also helps educate future teachers and works with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, according to a bio by the school district.
In conversation with Tim, Perry said teachers should stay flexible, but lean on their support systems during this time.
"You know, you'll have your unit plan your lesson plans, you'll have these different things that you scaffold it where you want to be at the end of the year, but every day is going to be different and so it's humbling yourself to understand when to ask for help humbling yourself to even in this right now," he said. "Don't be afraid to ask for help from neighbors, from family, from friends. 'I need some help with this.' 'I need some help with that to get my classroom prepared.'"
One of the biggest challenges Perry says he sees teachers face every school year is letting go of the past, and treating every year like the first.
"For teachers, it's making sure we come in with a fresh set of eyes, a fresh personality and outlook on our students," he said. "'These are great students, might have had some trouble with these students,' but having a fresh lens to say 'hey, it's a brand new year.' Yesterday's gone. Let's try this again."
And what does this top teacher want to see from students?
"Oh man, I want our students to come back enthusiastic about learning," he said. "Enthusiastic about meeting new people and just ready to be all those great things: respectful, responsible, ready, all these good things that that we want them to do so that they truly can be successful."
Along with enthusiasm, Perry wants to see ambition.
"When you walk into the room, when you walk into the school, be ready to achieve, be ready to connect and be ready to overcome."
