Office of Accreditation & Teacher Quality

2006 Teacher of the Year - Barbara Dowling

As a teacher, I become a facilitator of children's explorations and guide experiences of joint, open-ended discovery and problem solving.

I view my classroom as a new journey, a new adventure everyday. I teach because the lives of the children in my classroom are worth advocating and fighting for. I teach because deep inside my soul, I know the fight is worth it. To experience the world of children bright with promise and humanity is to experience hope for this planet we call Earth. To hear the laughter, to see the joy in learning, to be part of the "Aha" moment when children discover something new and delightful, nothing is better than that.

Most important of all is thinking deeply about children's work and learning, and creating a classroom where children enjoy learning; where creativity is encouraged and valued; where [children] are are respected for the qualities they bring to the group. To have children eager to enter the classroom each morning, to listen to the laughter of a child, to see eyes bright with curiosity and discovery, to be a positive influence in a young child's life, to create an environment where children engage in exploration and problem solving, where they communicate with one another, where they have opportunities to wonder and create new theories, where they [develop] great relationships, these, to me, are the greatest real contributions that I make.