National Education Association’s Jahana Hayes from Waterbury, Conn. has been named the 2016 National Teacher of the Year.
Advertisement
The news was announced Thursday morning on the “CBS This Morning” show.
She went on to earn a four-year degree, and then she realized her dream: She became a high school history teacher in the same town where she grew up.
Hayes is the fourth CT instructor to be named National Teacher of the Year and the first since 2009.
“She help me get where I am”, noted Kennedy senior Lynadia Whiting.
In her application, Hayes credited her teachers with giving her an escape from “drugs, welfare and abuse” in her family.
At an urban school with a widely diverse student body, she said she has found teaching is a lifestyle that extends beyond the contracted hours.
She began to lose interest in school, but a high school guidance counselor who visited her at home and called her all the time helped her to stay on course.
“It was a sense of community that was so impressive”. She said the influence of her own teachers taught her that a school’s job sometimes overlaps with the job of parents, and she wants her students to know there are no dead ends. “She sees stuff you don’t even see in yourself, so I think that helped because I wasn’t always into my work”. If you would like to discuss another topic, look for a relevant article.
“There is a minimum of 200 speaking engagements throughout the country and the world for next year”, Hayes said.
It’s been a whirlwind for Jahana Hayes. “What an exceptional educator – we are all proud”, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said in a statement. “Without question, Jahana will inspire others to believe in the power of teachers to change the world through education”, said Connecticut Department of Education Commissioner Dianna R. Wentzell. Her students regularly participate in fundraisers for cancer and autism research and they volunteer for Habitat for Humanity. She ignites a love of learning and builds their self-confidence.
She attributes her success to relating to her students and being real.
The 2016 National Teacher of the Year is CT educator Jahana Hayes. She will be recognized by President Barack Obama at a White House ceremony on Tuesday.
“Congratulations to Jahana on receiving this great honor”. “These kids are reminded that they too can be givers”, she said, adding that she ties service projects back into the curriculum and focuses on civic awareness. “I don’t think I would’ve been the same type of teacher somewhere else”.
Hayes seeks to send students into the world not just academically prepared but as conscientious and productive members of society. Her enthusiasm and passion for teaching and learning are contagious. “If I wasn’t, she would come find me”.
“I was like OK, I got pregnant and I know that shouldn’t have happened”, Hayes said last month, “but I’m still me”.
U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro also offered praise for Hayes’ work as a teacher and for making the state proud.
“I see myself in students who are high-achieving and do very well. I just didn’t understand why the education that I was receiving had to change”.
Advertisement
As the 2016 National Teacher of the Year, Hayes will spend a year traveling the nation to represent educators and advocate on behalf of teachers.
