Characteristics of a great teacher:

When looking for characteristics of a great teacher, visit Hal Henderson Elementary's first grade. Brandi Taylor is an exceptional teacher and is always willing to go the "extra mile" to do what's best for her students. Mrs. Taylor is the only first grade teacher at Henderson this year. She has been faced with the difficult task of educating 25 first graders. Although she had 22-25 students throughout the year, she was expected to meet all of their educational needs. Mrs. Taylor's only request throughout the year has been for additional desks when new students arrived. Mrs. Taylor's attitude and work ethic did not change regardless of the number of students. Each day has been a challenge, but her determination and high expectations has resulted in excellent DIBELS scores with 24/24 students benchmarking in phoneme segmentation fluency, 24/24 benchmarking in nonsense word fluency, and 22/24 benchmarking in oral reading fluency during Winter DIBELS testing.
With only two students in strategic intervention, Mrs. Taylor is working toward the goal of 100% benchmark for Spring DIBELS. Mrs. Taylor's success is proof positive that one can accomplish any task with hard work and determination.

Nancy Clarke, Alabama Reading Initiative Regional Coach, observed in Mrs. Taylor's classroom on March 4, 2010. After Mrs. Clarke's visit, she followed up with a letter in reference to Mrs. Taylor's exceptionality. The letter reads as follows:
Today I met with an outstanding teacher named Brandi Taylor. The Reading Coach, Melissa Barksdale, and I had a conversation with Mrs. Taylor about Tier 2 Work Mats and how she is refining her teaching to impact learning.

Through our discussion, several ideas were presented through Mrs. Taylor sharing her work. First of all, she has 24 first graders which is no easy feat! Yet, did she let the number of students affect her? Absolutely not! She shared how she had to make several adjustments based on sheer determination to focus on what matters - THE LEARNING OF HER STUDENTS! The result is her students are meeting the expectations for high achievement. Another example of her initiative is the use of the Work Mats in Tier 2. She took one that had been sent to her and tweaked it for her ease of use. She shared how the Work Mats are impacting her students in addition to the Tier 2 lessons. She uses them for student practice away from teacher at centers and in Tier 1 small group when the student learning needs arise.

We conversed about her expectations and the accountability of students' work. Mrs. Taylor is always thinking about the possibilities. For instance, she was determined to bring in technology because the upper grades at Henderson are seeing an increase in engagement of students. So, she scavenged around and found extra pieces of equipment from around the school and began using Promethean software this week! She didn't wait for next year, she didn't expect someone else to tell her to do it, she did it for the impact she believed it would have on student learning. She is always reviewing students' work and discussing ways she can improve the results. She is eager to hear suggestions. Mrs. Taylor even shared how a conversation with another teacher at a football game changed her practice and got results in learning!

Mrs. Taylor's classroom illustrates so many best practices in research. This teacher is a tribute to dedication, perseverance, and the consistency needed to affect learning of children. It shows in her classroom, it shows in her conversations, and it shows on the children's faces. Are the conditions difficult? Yes! The 24 students need teachers like Brandi that are willing to use best practices to impact their education and future. Is it a crowded classroom? Yes, 24 first graders take up lots of space! Is it possible? Ask Brandi Taylor. She'll tell you-YES IT IS!!!!

In this day of fast-paced, high accountability, and challenging conditions in schools, Brandi Taylor is leading by example-WHATEVER IT TAKES! She should be recognized for doing so, as many teachers should be, and this is my modest attempt to say, "Thank you for being a teacher!"
Nancy Clarke
ARI Regional Coach