Mrs. Jeanne Wright

PORT ORANGE -- Jeanne Wright's job title is "teacher," but she's never left behind the role of a student.

When some of her students had trouble learning to read -- much like Wright's own experience as a child -- she went back to college to learn more about how to teach them and shared that information with colleagues.

When she moved from third grade to first last year, Wright visited kindergarten and first-grade classes to learn more about what to expect of her incoming students.

Now Wright -- named Volusia County's Teacher of the year in January -- is headed off to a new learning experience with other top teachers from around the state -- and could come home with the biggest award of them all.

Wright, a first-grade teacher at Cypress Creek Elementary in Port Orange, is one of five finalists for the state Teacher of the Year title.

The winner will be announced Thursday night in Orlando at the end of three days of meetings during which Teachers of the Year nominees from Florida school districts will discuss education issues and swap ideas for what works best in the classroom.

Wright, 36, admits to being "a little nervous" about the competition, but a large delegation of relatives and friends will be there Thursday to help calm her jitters.

And the chance to learn from other teachers is more than worth putting up with the butterflies in her stomach.

A 14-year classroom veteran, Wright said she's gone from being a first-year teacher who thought she knew everything and was simply there to dispense knowledge to her students to knowing there's always more to learn, even from first-graders.

"They're a whole lot smarter than you think," she said, recounting the story of a little boy who stunned her and classroom observers evaluating her for the county award by saying ringing a doorbell is a push-and-pull exercise.

Everyone else in the class said it required pushing, but the boy stuck to his guns and explained you have to push the doorbell and then pull back your hand to walk through the door.

Learning to look at things in new ways like that is part of Wright's commitment to always improving her teaching skills.She earned certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in 1999 after completing a grueling process of testing and self-evaluation of what she did in the classroom every day.

Wright said that helped her to step back and analyze what she does, constantly asking: "How can I teach it differently if the kids aren't getting it this way?"

Among her answers to that question are the use of high-tech tools like a computerized, interactive "whiteboard" and student buzzer like devices for immediate feedback on children's understanding of a lesson.

Wright's appeal goes beyond the constant updating of her own education and the technology she incorporates into the classroom, said those who know her best.

"It's her personality that's projected into her teaching," said Roseann Withers, who taught with Wright for several years at Horizon Elementary.
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"She always found a creative way for the kids to get involved," said Stephanie King, whose son Parker was in Wright's class this year.

In late April and early May, Macy's awarded $5,000 to each of the other four finalists - 9th through 12th grade Social Studies Curriculum Leader and the International Baccalaureate Coordinator (IBC) Jennifer Bohn of Maynard Evans High School in Orange County, math teacher Kevin Holland of Pace High School in Santa Rosa County, history and social studies teacher Danny Whittenton of Kathleen High School in Polk County, and first grade teacher Jeanne Wright of Cypress Creek Elementary School in Volusia County.

DAYTONA BEACH -- Jeanne Wright, a classroom veteran who helped plan and open Volusia's newest school in August, is the county's new Teacher of the Year.

Wright

Wright, a first-grade teacher at Cypress Creek Elementary in Port Orange, received the award Friday night at a banquet in honor of the 72 nominees for the title.

"You're amazing.I learn something from you every day," Wright told the other educators in the crowd of 1,000 attending the banquet at the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort."Any one of you could have been up here tonight," she told them.

Wright will join Flagler's nominee -- to be named Feb. 7 -- in representing this area in the Florida Teacher of the Year competition.Teachers are nominated by colleagues at their schools and a countywide committee selects the overall winner.

Wright has worked for Volusia schools since 1993, teaching at Ortona Elementary in Daytona Beach and Horizon Elementary in Port Orange before moving to Cypress Creek when it opened last summer.

Wright, 36, was one of the teachers hired for the new school months before it opened so they could help plan its instructional program.That role was a natural for Wright, who's always looking for new ways to improve her lessons and often shares tips with other teachers through workshops and mentoring.
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"She makes learning fun for her students," Withers wrote in recommending Wright for the countywide award."She gives her students a chance to get their hands dirty and engage in active learning."

Her teaching philosophy has evolved over the years, Wright said in her application, from believing she knew everything to realizing there's always more to learn by evaluating her teaching methods each day, collaborating with other educators and using the latest technology.

She learned a lot about evaluating her teaching by earning certification from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards in 1999.

Wright considers that certification the single most rewarding experience of her career and has led her to evaluate her teaching every day.

"I critically examine my teaching on a regular basis and learn from experience," she said in her award application."I work collaboratively with fellow educators and parents as a member of the learning community."

A struggling reader herself as a child, teaching reading is now Wright's passion.She earned a master's degree in reading education and continues to spend considerable time and effort learning the best ways to teach the skills needed to be a successful reader.

Outside her classroom, Wright often attends her students' ball games, art shows and piano recitals.

"I want my students to feel valued as a person and not solely on the grades they receive," she wrote.

The finalists are Jennifer Bohn of Maynard Evans High School, Kevin Holland of Pace High School, Danny Whittenton of Kathleen High School and Jeanne Wright of Cypress Creek Elementary School.

Macy's Bringing All the Stars Together for Surprise Teacher of the Year Announcement - Jeanne Wright

One of five finalists named to compete for distinguished 2009 Macy's/Florida Department of Education Teacher of the Year Award

MIAMI, FL - April 29, 2008 - Teachers from across Florida are reaching for the stars.Now, from a group of 72 teachers, Jeanne Wright of Cypress Creek Elementary School in Port Orange in Volusia County is shining as one of the best and brightest educators in the state.

The finalists are Jennifer Bohn of Maynard Evans High School, Kevin Holland of Pace High School, Danny Whittenton of Kathleen High School and Jeanne Wright of Cypress Creek Elementary School.

The finalists are Jennifer Bohn of Maynard Evans High School, Kevin Holland of Pace High School, Danny Whittenton of Kathleen High School and Jeanne Wright of Cypress Creek Elementary School in Port Orange.

Jeanne Wright is a first-grade teacher and is an example of what is best about the area's schools as she influences students and inspires confidence in parents, according to district officials.In addition to her award, Mrs. Wright will have free use of a new car all year.

First grade teacher Jeanne Wright enhances her unit on Bees with BrainPOP & BrainPOP Jr. She'll show you how she makes the most of BrainPOP on her interactive whiteboard.

Jeanne Wright, a first-grade teacher