Each year, teachers from Green Level are nominated for teacher of the year in order to recognize and honor those who display excellent leadership and quality in their teaching. For the 2023-2024 school year, five teachers were selected as the GLHS teacher of the year finalists. To figure out what makes them so amazing, I interviewed each of the finalists on their role in the school, their teaching style, and their favorite part about being a teacher at Green Level. 

Of the teacher of the year finalists, I first interviewed Mrs. Delgado: a Spanish teacher at Green Level. In order to create a teaching style that fits the needs of her students, Mrs. Delgado aims to create a relationship between herself and the students. 

She explained, “If you don’t create a relationship with the students, then it will be more difficult for them to learn and acquire knowledge; and this is called lowering down their affective filter.”

She lets them know that it is okay and necessary for students to make mistakes in order to learn. Learning a new language can be very challenging, but Mrs. Delgado tries her best to create a fun environment where students can learn best. Because of that, her favorite part about teaching at Green Level is interacting with the students and taking time in class to fully engage with them. Overall, Mrs. Delgado’s high energy and enthusiasm makes her students love her class even more.

Next, I interviewed Ms. Gomilla who is both a volleyball coach and a teacher at Green Level. She has been teaching in the math department for 4 years, and she is currently teaching AP calculus. In order to effectively teach her students, she does lots of strategic pairing and highly encourages group work in order for students to collaborate and learn amongst one another. In order to help students who are struggling, she utilizes small group time to provide them with extra help. 

All in all, Ms. Gomilla explained, “I love teaching math here at Green Level! The math department is amazing, the students generally bring an energy of wanting to learn more, and the volleyball team I coach is amazing!”

The next finalist was Mr. Solakoglu, who is a business teacher at GLHS, teaching AP Macroeconomics, Entrepreneurship 1 Honors, and is the Head Men’s Soccer coach. A unique part about Mr. Solakoglu’s classroom is that he uses a Socratic teaching method: a thought-provoking dialogue between the teacher and students which drives more conversation and engagement within the classroom. Furthermore, he makes an effort to create a more relaxed rather than evaluated classroom which encourages collaboration and his students’ motive to learn.

Overall, Mr. Solakoglu’s favorite part about teaching at this school are the students themselves explaining, “The students are the future, and being a teacher answers my question: how can I be a part of the future?”  

Fourth up is Ms. Deceia who is a healthful living teacher at Green Level high school. She has been teaching at Green Level for two years and began teaching in 2011. In order to best fit the needs of her students, she highlights everyone’s individual traits, and makes sure to understand that not everyone is the same.

“I love being able to walk into a building everyday that has a great community where I work alongside incredible individuals. It truly is a blessing,” explained Ms. Deceia.

Ms. Deceia generally just loves teaching at Green Level and she always makes an effort to spread joy and laughter throughout the classroom and with her coworkers.

Last but not least is Ms. Amerson, who has been a French teacher at Green Level for 5 years. Not only that, but she works with Mrs. Hurd to be in charge of the hospitality committee, a committee that welcomes new staff and creates fun events for current staff. Teaching a foreign language class, Ms. Amerson tries to be as engaging as possible while teaching her content by  creating activities and skits where students are able to actively participate. In her classroom, she aims to let students know they are a part of a community and it is okay to make mistakes. What Ms. Amerson admires most about teaching at Green Level are the core values: kindness, self & world awareness, balance, leadership, and community. 

She explained that, “because I am able to share all those values, I am in an environment where I can be my best self as a teacher. With such a diverse population of great students and staff, Green Level is a great place to be a teacher!”

Overall, each teacher has their own unique excellence and way of teaching in order to be the best that they can for their students. It’s amazing the difference a good teacher can make in the classroom setting. Over the past week, there was voting where the Green Level staff selected the school’s 2023-2024 teacher of the year and the winner will be announced October 6th. So, the best of luck to each of these teachers!