Patterson and three other teachers will receive the Excellence in Teaching award on March 21. The 33rd awards program is sponsored by the Springfield Rotary Club, Ohio Edison, The Springfield Foundation and the Greater Springfield Partnership.
Each recipient will be introduced and will give a short presentation on what teaching has meant to them and the importance of being a teacher. Recipients will also receive a $1,000 check, a recognition plaque, an etched paperweight, and proclamations from the Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio Senate.
Teaching has meant everything to Patterson, who said aside from her faith and family is the most important part of who she is.
“I bounce out of bed every morning, excited to see what the new day has in store. Cultivating relationships with students, families, co-workers, and community members has brought me much joy over the years,” she said.
Each role a teacher takes on is equally important, Patterson said, and she believes she plays a part in a student’s life.
“I feel early childhood teachers can set the trajectory for a student’s entire educational experience. I think teachers need to set a tone with students and families that says, ‘we are a team.’ I believe that I play a small part in a student’s life, and that part can help mold him/her into the outstanding student and citizen they can become in years ahead,” she said.
Patterson loves teaching first grade, as well as helping student teachers.
“First graders still have a bounce in their step, and love to be silly, sing, and use their imaginations. It is just plain fun... I love building a positive classroom criminate and fostering relationships with students and families,” she said. “I also love teaching teachers. Supervising student teachers and furthering our profession has become very enjoyable to me as I get older.”
Patterson started her education career in 1989 teaching first grade. Since then, she has taught Title one reading and special education, and began as an intervention specialist when she started at Clark-Shawnee. She then spent 10 years teaching second grade before returning to first grade in 2010.
Although Patterson loves being an educator, teaching during COVID-19 has been difficult for her, especially decision making because “it added a layer of stress to an already stressful job.”
“It became obvious very quickly I would not be able to teach everything, so I had to decide what standards were most important to cover. Then, deciding what work to post online, versus teach in-person, and then what assignments should be paper pencil tasks versus a digital assignment. Also, keeping little children socially distanced during teaching was next to impossible. It was very difficult to plan lessons that I considered being best practice when kids had to remain apart,” she said.
Patterson is humbled to earn this award, which she said has “put a new bounce” in her step the last few months.
“Knowing the many great teachers who have won, or even just been nominated, before me, I consider it my greatest professional accomplishment,” she said.
Patterson received her master’s degree in Special Education from Wright State University.
2022 Excellence in Teaching Award
This is the second story in a four-part series by the Springfield News-Sun on the teachers in Clark County receiving the 2022 Excellence in Teaching Award.
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