Putting yourself out there isn’t easy. Especially when you’re in middle school. Even if you’re the teacher. It wasn’t easy for seventh-grade language arts teacher Gina Calvin to accept the nomination for Regional Teacher of the Year. She admittedly isn’t one to make a fuss. But, when she was nominated anonymously for the distinction she graciously accepted.
The news that Ms. Calvin won regional teacher of the year was shared by her daughter on social media. With the caption “Mom, you are such an inspiration to many! You instill confidence inside and out of the classroom! You set high expectations for yourself and your students and you never miss an opportunity to teach someone to be and do better. You truly deserve this honor and more! Your students are so lucky to have you!”
The State of Missouri Department of Secondary and Elementary Education (DESE) recognizes only thirty-four teachers out of approximately sixty-six thousand in the state each year with regional accolades. This year Ms. Calvin was one of only six to receive the honor from the Kansas City region. Other winners in the Kansas City region came from Lee’s Summit, Kansas City International Academy, Blue Springs, Raymore-Peculiar, and North Kansas City schools. Ms. Calvin said that she thinks Excelsior Springs is often overlooked when it comes to education, but she wants everyone to know that we have some great teachers and great schools here.
Click here to see the nomination process and regions
Calvin said she was reluctant to submit her application at first because she doesn’t see what she does as all that extraordinary. “I just love what I do. I love my students and I love to learn with them,” said Calvin. Sometimes I think I learn more from them than they do from me,” she added jokingly. She eventually accepted the nomination because she said she didn’t want to let anyone down by not following through, and she wants to make everyone around her feel proud. “Most importantly I want my students to be proud of me as their teacher, and to know they should never underestimate the potential they have to influence others. Even when they’re facing self-doubt,” she said.
Ms. Calvin has been teaching for twenty years and she says she still loves to see her students grow and succeed. For the past several years she has focused on a theme of finding your voice. She said she knows that students in middle school are often learning about who they are and how they want to express themselves. She’s made it her mission to help them discover their ideas and share them with others in a caring and compassionate way. As she says, “My goal, as a teacher, is to create a space where every student can express freely, learning the power of their voice, the strength of their emotions, and the reach of their words”
This past year Ms. Calvin organized a middle school poetry night at Bohemian Sage Art Gallery here in Excelsior as a way for students to express themselves. Middle school students presented their poems in front of dozens of community members, business owners, fellow students, and teachers. Ms. Calvin says that the work the students did building up to the poetry night led to some of the most intense, raw poetry that she has ever seen come out of a classroom. “Students had brought adults to tears. Students had changed the way the community looks at what a middle school student experiences and is capable of communicating. And most importantly, students began to understand the power of voice,” she stated.
Because she has earned regional distinction Ms. Calvin is now eligible to submit her application for the Missouri Teacher of the Year competition. Application materials for the statewide honor are due by mid July. Calvin hopes that by winning the regional award she can inspire more people to step up and nominate other deserving teachers in our district. She wants to make sure people know that teachers can be nominated for these types of awards by anyone in the community. Parents, grandparents, friends or fellow teachers can nominate those they think are doing an outstanding job during the annual window each spring.
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