Sherri Harkins Of Pittsville Elementary And Middle Named NECTFL Teacher Of The Year

Sherri Harkins, the Maryland Language Teacher of the Year who uses French language and culture to give students 3-8 at Pittsville Elementary and Middle School a world view, will be honored this weekend as the NECTFL Teacher of the Year by the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (NECTFL).

NECTFL is a 14-state organization that is the largest regional organization representing teachers of foreign languages. Ms. Harkins will be celebrated as the NECTFL Teacher of the Year at the NECTFL Spring Conference in Baltimore on Sunday, April 3. As the regional winner Ms. Harkins will compete in November 2011 for the title of National Language Teacher of the Year, as named by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL).

“Our region represents school districts with very strong world language programs. To represent the incredible teachers in the northeast region is truly an honor,” Harkins said. With this title Ms. Harkins will have opportunities to meet with educational policy makers to discuss and advocate for language learning, particularly her passion, early language learning. “If we are going to prepare our students to be successful in the global marketplace, we must give them the skills they need. There is no replacement for the life lessons learned through a language and its culture.”

As part of the interview for the regional title, Harkins was able to share how every aspect of her teaching is designed to guide students to successful world citizenship. From daily lessons to integrated service-learning opportunities, Sherri strives to strengthen students’ connections between their futures and their education. A former student, now in college, describes Ms. Harkins as “a teacher that focuses on not just the information, but one who initiates a genuine interest on the student’s part.”

“I have known and worked with Mrs. Harkins for eight years, and I am continually impressed by all she embodies as a professional educator,” said Ruth F. Malone, Director of Curriculum and Professional Development and Harkins’ former world language supervisor. “Mrs. Harkins is a model of what a caring professional educator should be. She is concerned about the well being of her students, constantly looking for new resources and ideas to bring into her classroom, and willing to invest countless hours and energy toward advocacy for language learning.”

Harkins, who graduated from Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania with a degree in communications and minors in French and Social Work, took a nontraditional path to teaching. She worked in various capacities for and later purchased a small business, Sand in My Shoes, Salisbury Inc. She began teaching in 2001 at Salisbury Middle School, where for seven years she taught French and Exploratory Foreign Language, taught Strategic Reading, assisted other teachers in their classrooms, and supported the school in special events and fundraisers. After one year at the Choices program, she moved to Pittsville Elementary and Middle in 2008 to teach French I to eighth graders and Exploratory Foreign Language to seventh and eighth graders, and piloted the Foreign Language Elementary School (FLES) program in grades K-5 at Pittsville and Willards Elementary. She coined the phrase now in common use at Pittsville School, “Turning Wildcats into World Citizens.” She is also active in curriculum writing and professional development.

Judges selected Harkins as NECTFL Teacher of the Year after reviewing a portfolio of student work, interviewing Harkins, and reading tributes from fellow teachers, supervisors, parents and students. Some of their comments endorsing Harkins are excerpted below.

Fellow Teachers:

"She has taught the children to greet each other, to state their name and tell about their favorite activity. She has also read stories in French. During the last lesson she spoke only in French and the children were able to follow all instructions. Mrs. Harkins has a wonderful rapport with young children. She has a positive approach and she makes learning French fun."
-- Christine M. Walston, kindergarten teacher, Willards Elementary

"Not only did Mrs. Harkins expose my students to the French language, she also infused their other subjects into her lessons. She reinforced skills that were being taught in reading, math and science while teaching the students how to speak French. Her enthusiasm acts as a motivator for the students to want to learn more. In addition to learning about the French language, Mrs. Harkins has exposed the students at Pittsville Elementary and Middle School to other world cultures. This has broadened the views of our students to think of themselves as part of a world culture and not just that of the Eastern Shore."
-- Marie Baker, Grade 3 teacher, Pittsville Elementary and Middle

"Everybody at Salisbury Middle loved her and if you had any questions about anything pertaining to French, classroom management, or fundraising, Sherri was always willing to help. All the students loved her and she loves her students -- from the unruly student that nobody wanted to the straight A student who just wanted to learn more about the French culture."
-- Ann Powell, Salisbury Middle School

Parents:

“My children come home excited about what they have learned. They might come home and repeat the days of the week or a catchy French song. They sometimes greet me with ‘bonjour.’ I am so happy this course is being taught at such a young age.”
--Jennifer Lewis, who had three children in Mrs. Harkins’ classroom last year

"I am certain that Jonathan chose French because of you! You were kind, understanding, encouraging, and most important to a middle school adolescent: You were fun and motivating! Jonathan gained a very practical application of French, and I appreciated the way in which you energetically and creatively immersed your first-year French students.”
--Robin Holloway, former Salisbury Middle parent

“Her creativity and ability to make class interesting and applicable creates a setting that children do not want to miss. Her ability to communicate with her students provides a resource that they can turn to not only for French but other school and personal challenges. They trust her and look to her for guidance.”
--Bonnie M. Gallagher, former Salisbury Middle parent

Students:

“Mme. Harkins always adds fun to her lessons and has prizes when we win games. We have also done really neat projects, like making a French photo album and making a French mobile of different things we like to do. Also, when we walk into the class it’s always a very relaxing feeling and I never feel pressured.”
--Tyler O., former Pittsville Middle student

“Mrs. Harkins is the best teacher ever!”
--Brittany B., Pittsville Elementary and Middle

“Taking French with Mrs. Harkins kept not only my interest, but actually became one of my favorite classes to attend. She was a teacher that took a genuine interest in me, who I was, how I learned and where I was going. She not only kept my interest, she helped us all really understand the language by making it fun and applicable. I was not a strong student, but her passion for us as students had a way of bringing me back to task to a point of not just understanding, but actually having fun with it.”
--Kyle Gallagher, Salisbury University student and “former and forever grateful student”

Supervisors:

“Mrs. Harkins has performed her duties with passion, energy and commitment to the welfare of children.”
--Dr. Daniel Pyle, former Supervisor of English and World Language for Wicomico Schools

“Mrs. Harkins’ classroom is an engaging and lively place where students of all levels are welcomed and challenged. She has consistently received the highest possible teacher ratings. Mrs. Harkins believes in and utilizes the best practices of differentiated instruction, multiple intelligences, and school civility. Her lessons are evidence of the care she puts into aligning her instruction to local, state and national standards – not just for world languages but also with the various content areas she connects to her lessons.”
--Michael T. Cody, Principal, Pittsville Elementary and Middle