Montana Teacher of the Year Banquet, October 16, 2014

Remarks by Anna Baldwin, 2014 Montana TOY

I'll start this talk at the end, with all my thank you's. Thank you to the foundation, to
coordinator Donna Graveley, and to Eric Feaver, for helping make this one of the most
memorable years of my life. Thank you to my family for your endless patience with all
my activities, and thank you to my students for putting up with the absences and emails
and remote instructions about how to do this project or that paper. As they say in my
community, Lemlmts Pesiya, thank you to everyone.

When I stood here a year ago, I spoke about exchanging my reliable old Danskos for a
new style - heels - to fit my new role. I did have to learn to walk in those heels; moving
from an everyday classroom teacher into spokesperson, advocate, and teacher leader took
some adjustment. A year ago tonight, Eric Feaver told me to "say yes to everything." I've
had so many opportunities to take his advice and I've almost always done so. First, there
was the National Teacher of the Year programming which includes trips to Arizona, DC
to meet the President, and Princeton just a couple of weeks ago. I also became an NEA
Teacher Ambassador, which involved a trip to San Francisco in February and a trip to DC
in June; I went to Hawaii as a conference speaker in May; I attended the Education
Commission of the States conference in DC in June. I will go to New Orleans next week
to speak at the ECET2 conference. I did NOT wear heels on the plane.

I've also participated in conference calls with the Department of Education, I've had the
opportunity to write blogs, record podcasts, and be featured in various venues including
my favorite, the Wells Fargo ATM machines. I've given keynotes and written guest
columns. I maintained a blog. I've been very busy.

Here's something you may not know about heels: heels have a wear limit. Some of them
are five-hour heels; I last half a day in those. Others are two-hour heels, super cute but
just for special occasions. Just like the wear limit, I have discovered that some of the
opportunities are less enjoyable than others. For example, collaborating with education
companies who employ large groups of non-teacher people to work on projects, is a
generally bad idea. For one thing, they make up words. They call handouts "student-
facing materials" and use terms like "high leverage practices," "evidence-based
assessment." Real teachers dont say things like that. Also, they are paid all summer long
and they must get lonely, so they want you to participate in conference calls with them.
All the time. Like every week. This is a job like the two-hour heels: better in small doses,
done infrequently or possibly never.

On the other hand, I've had the chance to make my voice heard locally and nationally on
some issues, such as Indian Education and the crisis of over-testing. In August I spent an
hour on the phone with a speechwriter for Arne Duncan who investigated my stance on
over-testing and used it to help inform the secretarys backpedaling public remarks on
this subject. Although I was sitting on a bench outside my school during that call, I'd say
that's a long-wear shoe job. Its something I really enjoy.

As a side story, earlier this fall I gave a talk at UM-Western as part of their Education
Department Series. I arrived at the hotel and had just a few minutes to rest and change my
clothes. When I went to pull out my shoes, I discovered that I had packed two patent
leather heels: one was blue and the other was black and a half-inch taller. I probably
should have taken away a lesson like, "slow down," or "stop saying yes to Eric Feaver,"
but instead I learned, "don't pack in the dark."

But seriously, the most important experience from this past year, has been the cumulative
realization that teachers voices really matter. It is imperative that educators speak out,
that we unify to promote the things we know about good teaching, about a strong public
education system, and about ourselves as professionals.

We cannot allow ill-informed policymakers, lawmakers, or billionaires control public
education. Teachers have to be civically informed. We must vote, and we must vote for
people who support teachers and students. We must write letters to the editor, participate
in our union, continually hone our practice, and above all: advocate for our students.

They say this is the year of recognition, and the years of service will last the rest of my
life. I don't doubt it. I'm happy to get back to my school, my students, and my classroom.
Happy to stay home a little more.

Happy I've got some good heels but more great Danskos.

So if you've kept up with the most important events in the world these last few weeks,
you'll know that the 2015 Montana Teacher of the Year has been named and youll know
that I will be ill-suited to provide him with shoe advice. Craig Beals is what they call a
phenom, a boss.

Craig has been teaching science at Billings Senior for 9 years and he does a lot of cool
stuff. He takes his students into the field, directing them in recording water quality data
and then sending this data to a national research program. His students work through
science to improve parks and contribute to zoning discussions. He has students create
webpages and videos about chemistry in their own lives and consolidates them on a
central page called chemistryislife.com. He has designed and led assemblies in which
high school students demo science topics for elementary students and these assemblies
were televised. Who does that? This guy does that.

Mr. Beals science teaching is driven by his own activity: his students are inspired by his
travels and scientific research which he has conducted in Greenland, Mongolia, Borneo,
Africa, and Belize as well as Montana. He also created an app to help him understand
students moods and feelings while taking attendance I mean really, who does that? Oh,
this guy does that.

You would all be inspired to hear some of his recommendations so, let me just share
them with you. One of his recommenders, a colleague who is actually a veteran teacher
with 10 more years of experience than Craig, wrote that Mr. Beals helped her see how to
be a teacher of the topic, not the textbook. She said, By the end of the year, I was
teaching using half my textbook and half inquiry based learning. He has an amazing way
of using inquiry and hands on learning to reach this technology-driven generation.

Another colleague from his graduate program spoke highly of Craigs content knowledge
and ability to integrate it with his classroom practice, writing that he inspired fellow
students in his graduate program with his keen, first-hand, intimate understanding of the
ecology and conservation issues of Montana and synthesized this knowledge into direct
action in his home community.

And finally, another colleague wrote that what truly stands out about Craig in my mind,
as is evidenced by his accomplishments, and the reason why I feel blessed that my son
had him for a teacher, is the fact that he really understands the value of relationshipMr.
Beals never loses sight of his priorities as en educator and his commitments to his
students. I believe this is why Craig has found such uncommon success so early in his
career and why he would represent Montana exceptionally well as Teacher of the Year.

And so he will. Ladies and gentlemen, the 2015 Montana Teacher of the Year.

Craig Beals.