Get to know the new Teacher of the Year

By Cheryl RodewigJune 4, 2010

Teacher
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT BENNING, Ga. - Earning the title Teacher of the Year is all about going above and beyond.

"We're just looking for outstanding teachers (who) not only know their subject matter well and have a tremendous ability to get it across, but they care," said assistant superintendent Shirley Jaeger.

Who she is

That passion and talent define Kathy Henley, Mandarin Chinese teacher at Faith Middle School and this year's Teacher of the Year for the Georgia/Alabama School District, said Jaeger, who knew Henley would be a good match for Fort Benning when she interviewed her for the job five years ago.

"She was just neat and exciting from the get-go," Jaeger said. "The magic is not simply that she teaches sixth, seventh and eighth graders to understand, speak, read and write a difficult language; it is how she teaches them. It is how she loves them. It is how she puts their needs ahead of her own.

"Students are physically as well as mentally involved in learning. Visitors stop at her door and peek inside to see students singing, clapping and moving to the music. She just captivates the kids, (and) it motivates them to want to continue to study Mandarin Chinese.

"When the kids found out she was being nominated, three of them wrote letters on her behalf," Jaeger said. "I haven't really seen that before. That's a teacher who makes an impression."

Her background

A native of Taiwan, Henley first came to the U.S. when her husband was attending graduate school. When he got a job in Auburn, Ala., she moved south and eventually found a home in Columbus. That's where she heard about the opportunity to teach Chinese.

"It's very different," said Henley, who worked as a restaurant owner before her assignment on post and wasn't used to American classrooms.

"In Asia, when you go to class, you just sit there and listen to the teacher; you don't talk back to the teacher. Here, it's totally different. So, I had to use American ways. I had to go to school many, many times - continue my education to be a more efficient classroom teacher. I had to relearn everything really. I'm still taking classes. That's how you become the best, so you won't fall behind."

What she does

Henley said she uses different activities to motivate her students. One of the most popular is Total Physical Response, a system for learning languages that integrates movement with the foreign language.

Henley's students use sign language, sing, explore souvenirs brought back from Asia and create art - all part of learning Chinese.

"I do something relevant to them," she said. "I make them believe learning is cool, is exciting. If you motivate them to learn, everything comes easy."

By being named Teacher of the Year, Henley said she hopes she can encourage other teachers to excel, regardless of their circumstances when they started teaching.

"Don't get discouraged. Work hard and whatever you do will be recognized," she said.

Why she does it

Although it's her first job on an installation, Henley is proud to work with military children, to "educate our next generation and serve the country at the same time," she said. "I'm an immigrant and I really appreciate the environment I live in right now ... safe and always free. I'm too old to be a Soldier, but I'm glad I can indirectly serve in (this) country. I love these kids."

Her impact

And they love her, too.

"She's the best teacher I've been to this year," said 12-year-old Jatavia Williams, a sixth-grader at Faith who finished her last day of Chinese class last week.

"I thought it was going to be hard, but it's really quite easy," she said. "Nine weeks ago, I was like, no, I do not want to do this, because it's going to be hard, and I thought I was going to flunk. But nine weeks later, I felt like I was going to ace this because she helps us with everything.

"So it was pretty cool to be in Chinese, and when I'm seventh grade next year, I hope to get her class again. She simplifies things. She makes learning Chinese fun."