WINCHESTER — Handley Higher School’s Jeff Keller has been named the 2023 Instructor of the 12 months for Winchester General public Faculties.
Keller, who was main an Superior Placement U.S. Record course on Wednesday early morning when college technique officers frequented his classroom and stunned him with the award, has been training at Handley for 15 many years. His recent system choices also contain Entire world Historical past, Honors Planet Record and African American Heritage.
“Mr. Keller is eager to do nearly anything that is requested of him in purchase to make the high college expertise better for our personnel and students,” Handley Principal Susan Braithwaite said in a media launch from Winchester Community Educational institutions. “He is relentless in regards to keeping large anticipations for each and every pupil. His perform ethic is definitely amazing. He is effective tirelessly to make John Handley Higher College a safe and sound place for all college students.”
Keller acquired a bachelor’s diploma in secondary education and learning social research from Shepherd College and a master’s diploma in heritage from George Mason University. He is now pursuing a doctoral degree in training and trainer instruction from George Mason University.
In the “philosophy of teaching” assertion he submitted immediately after remaining nominated for Instructor of the Year, Keller wrote about the worth of connecting with pupils on a particular degree in get to empower their drive to find out: “Students want to know that you know them outside of just a title on the roster. Making interactions like this usually means not only that I know my learners, but also that I know when and how to thrust pupils to move beyond surface-amount contemplating.”
“His educational delivery engages students [by addressing] specific students’ learning models, and he incorporates technologies on a daily foundation,” Braithwaite wrote in her letter nominating Keller for Instructor of the 12 months. “Student voice and selection are noticeable in his classroom.”
Outdoors of the classroom, Keller can normally be observed supporting students in Handley’s Black Pupil Union after school and at team occasions, the media launch states. He is also a chief with the school’s pupil equity attempts.
Winchester General public Educational institutions began picking out a teacher of the yr in 2006. Each of the 7 educational institutions within just the division selects its possess teacher of the year, then all those instructors are nominated by their principals for the division-broad award.
According to the release, nominees should post a narrative that includes their philosophy of training and do an in-human being interview with the division’s assortment committee, which involves a member of the Winchester Faculty Board, the faculty system’s government director of instruction, director of human assets and equity and family empowerment coordinator, a parent liaison and the reigning teacher of the year.
In addition to Keller, this year’s nominees ended up:
Andrew Divico — Frederick Douglass Elementary University
Nicole Hobson — Quarles Elementary School
Hannah Obitts — John Kerr Elementary College
Troy Phillips — Virginia Avenue Charlotte DeHart Elementary University
Morganne Mease — Daniel Morgan Intermediate School
Angel Wood — Daniel Morgan Center College
Now that Keller has been named Instructor of the Yr for Winchester Community Universities, the release states, he will be nominated by the college program for the Virginia Division of Education‘s 2024 Virginia Instructor of the Calendar year, which is expected to be declared this autumn.
