Teacher of the year offers advice to new teachers

Virginia 2009 Teacher of the Year Stephanie A. Doyle addresses the VCU School of Education’s Graduate Intern and Student Teaching Orientation Meeting.

by Mike Frontiero
VCU School of Education
January 12, 2009

Nine years have passed since Stephanie A. Doyle entered the classroom as a new teacher but she still remembers the sage advice her teacher mentor gave her.

“Kids smell fear and fake. Do not be afraid to know your students on a personal level and be genuine with them. When you open the heart, you open the mind.”

Now Virginia’s 2009 Teacher of the Year, Doyle is sharing that advice with future teachers across the state including nearly 200 who attended the VCU School of Education’s Graduate Intern and Student Teaching Orientation Meeting in January.

The sixth-grade history teacher at Breckenridge Middle School in Roanoke, Va., was selected Teacher of the Year in October from the eight Virginia Regional Teachers of the Year.

She was cited by Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction Patricia I. Wright (M.Ed. ’84) as an example of Virginia’s many highly qualified and caring teachers who challenge and inspire their students.

“My passion is mentoring kids,” Doyle told the VCU group. “You need to find your passion. Whatever it may be, share it with a child. Today’s children face many challenges and carry a great deal of emotional baggage. You may be the one person who makes a difference in their lives.”