Betsy Glad has been named the 2007-2008 Teacher of the Year for Union Public Schools, the highest honor bestowed upon a Union teacher.
Glad, who has taught third grade for the past 18 years, is a National Board Certified Teacher and won the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics Teaching last year.
Recognized for her achievements in the classroom, Glad is also a teacher other educators turn to for advice, leadership and training.
“My goal is to continue providing teacher training in the area of math and science at the district and state level,” Glad says. “Interacting with teachers from other districts always gives perspective to my teaching. It never fails that as I work with new and experienced teachers that I come away with wonderful tips and ideas that I can use in my own classroom. The more I am involved with teachers throughout the state, the more I learn.”
Glad’s greatest influence for becoming a teacher came from her family.
“My father, mother and two sisters were compassionate teachers and dedicated to their profession,” Glad recalls. “I remember on many occasions my mother being stopped in the grocery store by former students who would thank her for the extra help given in her classroom setting. I did not realize at the time how much those encounters meant to my mother until having similar experiences in my own teaching career.”
Glad believes her greatest strength as an educator comes from her love of learning.
“You would think after 27 years of teaching experience that I would have all the answers by now, but I think the moment you believe you know all the answers, you close your mind to other learning opportunities,” Glad remarked. “Learning must be continuous and ongoing for teachers as well as students. I believe all children deserve a teacher who is truly great. In order to achieve that goal for myself I need to constantly reflect on my teaching practice and how it impacts my students’ learning. I must question, read professionally, and learn from other professional educators. Learning will always be an ongoing process for me.”
Glad calls her teaching style “interactive.”
“I interact with my students to help them absorb information, look for connections, and interpret and make sense of their learning,” Glad said. “I am there to set the stage for learning to occur and give guidance and encouragement along the way. My students know from the first day of school that we are all teachers in our classroom and that their interactions with each other are equally important. Interaction with my students also takes place outside of the classroom. I like to attend their ball games or piano recitals to see what they are like in a different environment.”
Glad received her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. Glad is also the proud mother of a daughter, Rachel, who graduated from Union Public Schools in 1998.
