You’ve heard me talk about The Village School in Naples; I had an author visit there in 2008 and returned last December to give awards to several 4^th grade students who won prizes in our “I Love Costa Rica’s Rain Forest Contest.”  The school is awesome!  There is so much positive energy and a love of learning from the administration, staff, and the students.

One of the reasons for the school’s great success is 4^th grade teacher, Steven Noyes.  Mr. Noyes was recently honored by the Christian Chamber of Southwest Florida as the Golden Halo 2009 Winner.  This award recognizes one outstanding teacher at a private Christian/Catholic school from a pool of five counties in Southwest Florida.  After 50 nominations and 10 finalists were named, Mr. Noyes was selected as the sole winner.  He is a passionate and ultra positive teacher who connects with his students in a most exceptional way. We sat down with Mr. Noyes to ask him questions about his award as well as his teaching philosophy.

Steven Noyes after winning the Golden Halo Award

Congratulations! You must have felt so honored when you found out you were the Golden Halo winner.  What was your initial reaction?

All ten finalists were at a beautiful banquet that evening, and when I was announced as a top three finalist, I started thinking I had a real chance.  Honestly, I was very surprised, but deeply honored.

What did you win and how did you celebrate?

I received a beautiful Golden Halo lapel pin studded with diamonds from the Diamond District, a wonderful certificate of recognition, and a two-day hotel getaway.  I celebrated with my students the next week with a big party!  They loved it!

How long have you been a teacher?

This is my 21^st year as a teacher.  It has been a rewarding and enjoyable journey.

I’ve been to your incredible school and your classroom.  I’ve seen the way you are with your students.  You really have a unique influence on your students.  I see it in your energy and gentle encouragement.  What motivates you to teach?

First and foremost, I love working with children.  I enjoy doing anything and going the extra mile for my students.  They motivate me to be the best I can be, and I never get tired of it.

How does being a teacher at a Christian school affect your teaching methods?

It allows me to be able to speak freely about God and to pray with my students anytime we feel the need.  I think it just takes education to the next level because we share and we care, we play and we pray, and we earn and we learn.

I really like your philosophy… What qualities do you think a good teacher possesses?

I think any good teacher has to love working with children.  They need to have patience, energy, and love for their students.  They also are lifelong learners always striving to be better at what they do.

Your students are so passionate about writing.  How do you motivate them, and what do you do to help them improve their writing skills?

Right from the beginning of the year, I try to show students that writing can be fun.  I show them that it isn’t just sitting down with a sheet of paper, using a graphic organizer, or going through the writing process.  Even though these are great (and needed) tools, we start small and build up to writing stories with various activities and tools.  We focus on “showing not telling”, using vivid language, keeping voice consistent, and using effective transitioning.  It’s a lot of fun to write!

I wish more teachers were able to get their students excited about writing… Describe for us one of the best days you’ve ever had as a teacher?

Honestly, every day is special in it’s own way, but when some of the members of the Christian Chamber entered my room one afternoon surprising me and my class announcing that I was a finalist for the Golden Halo, it was memorable.  Seeing the four students that had nominated me standing there with smiles, and receiving hugs from all of my students brought tears to my eyes.

What are your biggest challenges?

My biggest challenges include trying to meet the needs of each student while also trying to instill class unity in everything we do.  Also, trying to keep students challenged that need it and deserve it, and finding enough hours in a day to do what needs to be done.

I’m sure there are many other teachers out there who share your challenges! You wrote and published your own book of poetry called Journeys:  A Collection of School Poems.  What inspired you to write the book?

I love to write poetry and over recent years, I started writing a few poems about the experiences of students and teachers at school.  I would bring them in and share them with my students.  A couple of years ago, my students said I should have them published, so I self-published a collection of them and made them available for anyone in our school.

That’s another great way you inspire your students to write – by showing them you put out the effort too… When you are not teaching, what do you like to do on your time off?

I love spending time with my family, including my four precious nieces.  I love spending time with friends doing just about anything, and I love coaching. For the past 20 years I have coached 60 different teams from various sports.  I currently coach two basketball teams at our school.

You are indeed dedicated, Steven! I’ve always said that teachers are under-appreciated and underpaid.  Yet, they have one of the most important jobs on the planet.  What do you think we can do to change this?

I think sometimes teachers get a bad rap due to some people having negative experiences during their school years.  I can tell you that the teachers I work with are phenomenal human beings who go the extra mile for our students.  I think most teachers do just that.  As far as money goes, I feel rich in many other ways other than monetary.  I believe that is part of the reward of being a teacher.

Steven accepts his coveted award

What advice do you have for a young teacher who is just starting out?

I think the biggest thing is to be yourself.  It is important that, despite who you might be replacing, or where you come from, that you don’t try to be someone you are not.  Set the tone from day one about your expectations, and stay consistent with them throughout.  Always remember, the students are your number one priority.  They are who you are there for.  If you aren’t there for that reason, the students will know right away.  Being a teacher can be one of the most rewarding occupations.  I know that my students have made a difference in my life in so many positive ways.  I wouldn’t want to do anything else.

Steven, thank you so much for answering our questions. Being a children’s book author, I have met so many dedicated, wonderful teachers and librarians. After observing you interacting with your students the way you do and feeling your students’ admiration for you and enthusiasm for learning, I knew you were an extra special teacher. It’s people like you who will inspire the rest of the world to give teaching the utmost respect it deserves.

Readers, if you live in Southwest Florida and are looking for a beautiful, nurturing, innovative Christian school for your child, be sure to visit The Village School in Naples. This school is home to the happiest students and most passionate teachers I’ve ever met!

6000 Goodlette Rd N
Naples, FL 34109-7206
(239) 449-4968

After attending an exhausting 2 1/2 hour Open House at our daughter’s high school last night, I realized something very important. If we parents had to do today what our kids have to do at school every day, we might not be able to do it! And if we (who are not teachers) had to do for ONE DAY what the teachers do every day, we would need an immediate 2-week vacation!

I am not saying our generation did not have challenges when we were high school students, but I do not recall having as much expected from me as our daughter has expected of her. She is fortunate to attend one of top high schools (Catholic) in the USA in academics and sports, but I also was fortunate to attend a (public) high school similar to that outside of Chicago.

This is what I learned about my daughter’s daily life. . . First, her uniform must be perfect, and her shirt must be tucked in. Then there are heavy books for her to lug around and too much space to cover between classes for her to be able to stop at a locker. There is barely enough time for her to get to each class before the bell rings. Then she is expected to switch gears and concentrate on a new subject intently, and be ready for daily quizes, tests and essays in many classes. Her schedule rotates every day, so she cannot get confused about that. That means that her lunch changes every day as well, and sometimes she is extremely hungry by the time she eats. (I recall having the same schedule daily and eating lunch at the same time every day all 4 years of high school.) When she gets home from school or other activities, her brain is often overloaded. But she has hours of homework to do.

I am not saying this is a “bad” situation by any means, but it is rather demanding. I guess the world is a more competitive place than when I grew up, with our growing population, rising number of superstar students and limited spaces in our top universities.

As far as the teachers go, I have the utmost respect for them. (Sure, there is the occasional not-so-wonderful teacher, but that is much less common than great teachers.) Last night, our daughter’s teachers demonstrated their dedication and respect for their students through their brief summaries to the parents. I cannot imagine the pressure of getting my point across to 25 – 30 kids multiplied by 6 classes and making sure they can process the information and pass the exams. I really cannot imagine teaching the same lesson 6 times per day and teaching the same class year after year. Then there are behavior and motivation issues as well as some difficult parents for them to deal with.

We have all heard about “Teacher of the Year” awards. But what about the countless teachers who aren’t showcased and thanked publicly?  That’s where we as parents come in. Have you truly thanked your children’s teachers lately? If not, what are you waiting for? It can really motivate them to keep working hard to shape our kids’ lives. Let them know what difference they make in the world.