Mike Couick
Quite frankly, I don’t know how teachers do it today.
There are so many things competing for our students’ time and attention that didn’t exist when I was a student at York County’s Bethel Elementary in the late 1960s. In fact, all that was competing with school then were farm chores. Once the cows were fed in the morning and you checked your shoes to make sure there was no cow hockey on them, you went to school and were all about school.
My mother was a teacher at the school, so she drove my brother and me directly there. I knew everybody who was in our classroom, and half of them I was kin to. In fact, my fourth-grade teacher, Ms. Ruth Funderburk, had gone to school with my grandmother and taught my mother, so she knew about me before I walked through the door. Throughout the school day, I interacted with people who I would also see at church or in town, like the lady who ran the cafeteria or the couple who kept the school immaculate.
If I did have a hard time finishing lessons, it was identified by the end of the day that I needed to do some extra work, and a handwritten note from the teacher was sent home. I knew that if I didn’t do it, she certainly knew how to reach out to my mom and let her know that “Michael” was having problems.
I think about the teachers who I had the privilege of interviewing as a final-round judge in the 2023 South Carolina Teacher of the Year competition—what they’re competing with, both good and bad. It’s not just TV anymore, it’s Netflix and Prime, YouTube and TikTok, video games and social media. These distractions steal away the attention of bright students who are just looking for something exciting to do or see.
Add to that the challenge of parents who may be working in a different city and have a long commute. Interactions and communications between teachers and parents have more complexities and channels than the note home or the occasional in-person conference. More diverse classrooms also require that teachers have the ability to connect with different students in different ways.
Through my role as a judge, I was exposed to teachers doing amazing things to overcome these challenges. They made their classrooms just as exciting as any game that could be played. They made their students feel important and engaged.
I watched a math teacher create dance steps for her geometry lesson about angles. She paired the steps with hip-hop music, imprinting on her students the elements of the lesson through verbal repetition and physical motion.
I talked to a teacher who said it was his goal to be a part of every extracurricular event in his rural community—every athletic contest, PTO meeting and service organization activity. He took it so far as to meet with all his state legislators to tell them, “Here’s what I’m doing in my classroom, and here are the things you could do to help support me.”
Another teacher recognized that parts of her community were challenged by language barriers and parents working extended hours. So, she found ways to interact with them on the weekends to let them know she cared.
And I guess that was the central message that came through from all five Teacher of the Year finalists. It was very discernible in my interviews with them, and it had to be obvious to their students—they care.
That’s the one common denominator between Ruth Funderburk in 1968 and these award-winning teachers (and teachers like them) today. They care, they love and they are committed to education.
Cooperatives have similar responsibilities and motivations. Emerging technologies, diverse communities and an increasing need for services require innovative approaches. These challenges are opportunities for us to show that we care and are committed to the people we serve.
We are serving the same communities as these teachers, and I hope we can have the same impact.
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A passion for teaching— Meet the five finalists for 2023 South Carolina Teacher of the Year honors and learn how they set high standards for classroom education.