What Makes a Great Teacher?

An Interview with Heidi Capraro, Michigan's 2004 Teacher of the Year

As Michigan’s 2004 Teacher of the Year, Heidi Capraro spent the 2004-05 school year working at the Michigan Department of Education (MDE). She served as a traveling ambassador for public education and became a nonvoting member of the State Board of Education. No stranger to educational leadership, Capraro also received the national Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching in 2002. When Heidi became Michigan’s 2004 Teacher of the Year, she was a sixth-grade teacher at Hillside Middle School in Northville. Before her service at MDE, Capraro served as science department chair at Hillside Middle School. She is president of the National Middle Level Science Teachers Association and a member of the Michigan Science Teachers Association and the Metropolitan Detroit Science Teachers Association. She is returning to Hillsdale Middle School this year in her new role as assistant principal.

Leading Change talked with Heidi about what we all can do to ensure highly qualified educators for Michigan’s students.

Q. What qualities make you—or any teacher—“Teacher of the Year”?

We have a passion for teaching. We care about our students, parents, and the communities in which we work and teach. We celebrate the positive accomplishments in the field of teaching and look for brighter possibilities for the future.

Q. How do you address the diverse needs of individual students?

Reaching students with diverse needs requires different strategies. It’s not easy to describe or accomplish. Reaching all students requires absolute dedication and high expectations for each individual child. A teacher has to use every bit of personal energy to encourage some students to be positive, positive, positive!

The key is to start the year off on the right foot. Learn about the individualized education programs (IEPs) for all students who have one. Call parents or caregivers and express a sincere desire to work together with them to make this a supportive year for all parties. Also, really effective teachers understand the interpersonal skills needed to win their students over and make them want to work. As adults, we want to work for a boss who respects and values us. We want others to recognize our hard work and reward us for it. Kids are no different!

In terms of classroom modifications, teachers need to be flexible! I always know exactly what objectives my district expects me to cover. I make professional decisions about how to assess whether students are meeting those objectives. I try hard to make sure students aren’t hung up on the difficulties of the assessment rather than on the content or skill being assessed. Offering alternative assessments can really ease a student’s frustration level.

I think teachers have to be sensitive to each student’s tolerance for frustration and recognize that each one handles this kind of stress differently. We want to engage and motivate students, not force them to shut down and quit. This applies to students at every age. I think people assume that as children grow up, they don’t need the same support and understanding. In reality, they have more difficulties to face as they reach their teenage years. Kindness, empathy, opportunities for success, modifications, and adults with a personal interest in them—these are what every child needs.

Q. What conditions, opportunities, resources, and tools help teachers become excellent at their jobs?

I began teaching in a building where teachers went on Earthwatch expeditions, participated in state and national organizations, and served as leaders in promoting effective teaching techniques. I came to see teaching as so much more than a 30-year closed-classroom assignment. I had options to make what I did in the classroom more interesting and relevant for my students and myself.

I needed support from administrators and the school board, however, in order to pursue those options. A school district needs to stand behind teachers who pursue opportunities to enhance their teaching. Sometimes this is hard to do, especially in tough economic times.

Q. What role does funding play in improving teacher quality?

First, districts can fund time for teachers to learn from their peers. As a new teacher, I learned classroom management tips, teaching strategies, and many other skills from veteran teachers during daily team time—a period set aside every day for a team of teachers to collaborate, plan ways to improve student learning, and discuss the needs of individual students. As school budgets tighten, programs like this often get eliminated.

Second, teachers need high quality tools. Science equipment is expensive. Materials like glassware break and equipment such as balances need repair. When budgets get tight, science teachers must drop certain activities or laboratory experiments. As a result, students may not learn and experience hands-on science as they should. Overall, teachers are less effective without the tools to do the job.

Finally, teachers need time and funding to attend conferences, workshops, and other professional development events. This helps them keep up with current technology, teaching methods, and—especially for science—new content. Budget cuts often limit professional development opportunities.

Q. How important is it for teachers to know what’s happening in the “real world” and the workplace? How can teachers and principals create those connections?

You can’t teach science and make it meaningful if you don’t know what’s meaningful. Teachers need to extend their world past the classroom. Connecting with real science and scientists keeps me sharp and focused on what’s relevant for the students to learn. Teachers create opportunities for students to make connections with the real world through service learning projects. Teachers themselves can connect to the field through professional organizations, like Michigan Science Teachers Association, that provide current information about the field. Regional educational service agencies (RESAs) and intermediate school districts (ISDs) often have information and programs that connect classroom learning to available partnerships and community opportunities.

Q. How do you tie professional development events and experiences to your classroom? In other words, how do you ensure the time and cost invested in professional development translates to student achievement?

My favorite professional development events let me choose sessions on topics that interest me. I also appreciate professional development days where the learning is built around the needs teachers have expressed. It’s easy to learn and apply professional development when it’s something teachers ask for. It’s rare for one professional development event to apply to all teachers, unless it covers topics like new technology, student health care, or safety procedures. Professional development will produce results when teachers buy in to the need for the development and when someone later measures progress related to what they’ve learned.

Q. How has education changed since you started teaching?

Teachers now have many more resources available to them. Fifteen years ago, I had to wait for the Michigan Science Teacher Association conference to get new and creative science activity ideas. Now I can come up with hundreds of lessons over the Internet in a few minutes—for free! Of course, conferences are still very valuable.
New technologies certainly help with housekeeping chores like recording attendance and grades. Technology has improved communication with parents, colleagues, and students and helps teachers access better teaching resources.

I believe educators are held far more accountable for learning now than they were when I started teaching. Teachers and parents are better informed about what is expected of them. District curriculum guides are more user-friendly and help teachers stay on target.

Q. What advice would you give new and mid-career teachers when it comes to improving skills?

I would visit the county RESA or ISD to learn about the services they provide for teachers. As I visit more of these facilities, I am impressed by the vast services they provide, especially programs designed for novice teachers.

Q. Now that you’ve walked in both worlds (classroom and policy-making), what tips can you offer each group in terms of recruiting, retaining, and supporting excellent educators?

What Teachers Can Do:

• Join the professional association for your content area.
• Attend conferences where knowledge is shared and excitement is generated.
• Ask for help, write grants, share your need. Usually—but not always—people will deliver. Tap the skills and resources of your parents and fans.
• Support your peers and meet as teams, even if the team time is eliminated. It’s important to connect and hear each other on a daily basis, even for only a few minutes.
• Take time to celebrate your colleagues’ achievements. Getting together for treats, baby showers, holiday parties, and social gatherings builds camaraderie. When times get tough, a cohesive staff will still flourish.
• Provide guidance to new teachers; remember, their success is important to everyone!

What Principals Can Do:

• Protect teachers’ time and avoid disruptions to classroom time.
• Convey high expectations for teachers and give positive feedback; give praise when praise is due.
• Provide time and resources for novice and mentoring teachers to meet together and build successful relationships.
• Work with local media to recognize and celebrate staff and student success whenever possible.
• Be sincere and empathetic to staff members. Learn about individuals on a personal level.
• Take time to visit classrooms and make the experiences positive for both teachers and their students. Do not wait until a teacher’s evaluation to make your first appearance.
• Invite parents and community members into the school as much as possible. People need to see the importance of supporting their schools.

What Communities Can Do:

• Offer to share resources. Budgets are tight, and anything you offer—from cotton balls to time—is welcome and needed.
• Sponsor a teacher to attend professional conferences.
• Offer mini-grants for classroom enhancement activities.
• Volunteer to serve at a local school.
• Express interest in children you know; convey your interest in their education and recognize their achievements.
• Thank teachers, staff, and students for their dedication and commitment to the community.

For more information, contact: Heidi Capraro, Hillside Middle School, 775 N. Center St., Northville, MI 48167, (248) 344-8491.