Jan Schuettpelz, 2015 Inspired Teacher Leader, named DC Public Schools’ Teacher of the Year

February 3, 2017

(Jan leads fellow science teachers in a lesson at Professional Development Day for DC Public Schools. Photo credit: Center for Inspired Teaching.)

On February 1, 2017, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and DC Public Schools Chancellor Antwan Wilson announced that Jan Schuettpelz, a 2015 Inspired Teacher Leader, was awarded Teacher of the Year for the District. Jan is a seventh grade science teacher at Alice Deal Middle School. She participated in the Inspired Teaching Institute in school year 2015-2016, building her skills in engagement-based instruction in order to ensure her classroom is a vibrant learning community in which lessons are, in her words, “hands-on, minds-on.”

Jan was honored for making science “come alive for her students” and for inspiring young people to love learning for its own sake. Her approach is deeply aligned with Inspired Teaching’s engagement-based philosophy, which contends that teachers must shift their role from information providers to Instigators of Thought®. She has remained involved with Inspired Teaching since the completion of her program.

Jan (standing fourth from left) with the 2015-2016 cohort of Inspired Teacher Leaders.

“Center for Inspired Teaching came into my life at precisely the right time,” Jan said. “I was feeling less than inspired as an educator, unsure if I still had a place in education. My summer with Inspired Teaching surrounded me with amazing, inspired, passionate educators and rekindled the fire in me. Spending the next school year brainstorming, planning, and collaborating with inspired teachers improved my practice more than ever before. The feedback from observations led me to rethink parts of my class, focusing everything on the students. The Center for Inspired Teaching experience has, by far, been the greatest professional development that I have ever received. I am truly Inspired.”

Dave Yarmchuk, Director of Teaching & Learning at Inspired Teaching, said of the award: “Jan teaches the kind of class that everyone wants to be in. What sets her apart is how well she connects with students to help them collaborate and grow as a community of learners. During my time working with Jan, she was eager to continually improve her practice, using Inspired Teaching’s approach to more deeply engage her students. I saw tremendous growth in Jan over the course of the year, not only from a great teacher to an even better one, but also as a leader among her peers and spokesperson for powerful, engaging instruction. We’re proud that she is getting the recognition she deserves.”

The Inspired Teaching Institute, run in partnership with DC Public Schools in 2015-2016, was designed to shift instruction citywide by leveraging cohorts of exceptional Teacher Leaders who were coached and supported by Inspired Teaching over the year. Schuettpelz and the other members of her cohort strengthened their practice, wrote standards-aligned modules for use district-wide, and facilitated professional development for all of their peers teaching science across the DC Public Schools.

The 2017-2018 Inspired Teaching Institute is open for enrollment from teachers in public and public charter schools across DC, Maryland, and Virginia.

Micaiah Anderson

Community Outreach Specialist

As a Community Outreach Specialist, Micaiah is responsible for program promotion and outreach support for Inspired Teaching events and workshops. Micaiah has a passion for collaborating with community members to build-power and connect. She is an educator with a heart for youth and has experience supporting students fight injustices within their schools and communities. She has a BA in Political Science from, the real HU, Hampton University & anticipates graduating in May 2024 with a Masters of Arts degree in Educational Policy Transformation from Georgetown University.

AUTONOMY

"I want to have a say in what happens to me."

Autonomy is the need for independence; the ability to make choices, to create, to explore, and to express oneself freely; to have sufficient space, to move around, and to feel unrestricted with opportunities to exercise free will.

Brady Maiden

Outreach Coordinator

As the Outreach Coordinator, Brady helps maintain Inspired Teaching’s social media presence and supports the organization’s mission to connect with DC community leaders, educators, and parents. Brady has her Master’s in Public Policy from George Mason University and her BS in Political Science from Northern Arizona University. She is passionate about community, equity, and coalition building recognizing that learning and growing with the community at large is how we continue to be impactful.

What brings you joy in life?

I find joy in spending time with my friends and family and meeting new people. I like going to concerts and festivals, and finding new books to read.

The Learner’s Cycle, Wonder-Experiment-Learn, and the Teacher’s Cycle, Observe-Plan-Instigate, comprise Inspired Teaching’s approach to engaging students in inquiry-based learning.

When they are engaged in the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, students are immersed in learning. They take the lead in designing authentic learning experiences around their own interests and their school’s standards of learning. Each discovery leads to a new question which in turn leads to more wondering and more learning. In the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, Learn is not a destination or an endpoint; it is a deeper understanding, leading to a deeper wondering and new possibilities that create new entry points to further exploration. The cycle continues because what students have learned generates more wonderings that require more experiments that foster more learning – and on and on.

The Observe-Plan-Instigate Cycle is the work of an Inspired Teacher. While a student is expected to follow the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, the teacher joins them on the learning journey while following their own cycle of Observe-Plan-Instigate. This cycle ultimately serves to ensure an inquiry-based atmosphere is at play in the classroom.

Jaqueta Abbey

Teaching and Learning Specialist

Jaqueta is the Teaching and Learning Specialist for Inspired Teaching. In addition to her current role with Inspired Teaching, Jaqueta is a first-grade teaching assistant. Her background features a variety of traditional and non-traditional experiences in the field of education, including working as an adjunct professor, teaching summer reading programs to children and adults, and tutoring children in the foster care system. Jaqueta earned a B.A. in Communication Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an M.A. in Interactive Media from Elon University.

What brings you joy in life?

Creative self-expression! In addition to my passion for storytelling, I love dancing of all kinds. I've studied belly dance, bachata, and Brazilian Zouk among other styles. I also enjoy glass fusing, crocheting, photography, and cross stitching. These art forms allow me to express myself and build connections with other people at the same time. I think life would be a lot less vibrant without artists and storytellers!

Michelle Welk

Communication & Marketing Specialist

As Communications and Marketing Specialist, Michelle is responsible for finding and creating new ways to highlight Inspired Teaching and promote its programs in order to expand and deepen the organization's impact. Michelle has worked in communications in an array of settings, from creative agencies to state politics to national nonprofits. She has a BA in Journalism from Temple University in Philadelphia and is passionate about education, access, and equity.

What brings you joy in life?

My son, the beach, making a persuasive argument and good food!

Max Peterson

Real World History Assistant Teacher

Max received his Bachelor’s degree in History and African American Studies from Boston University in May 2016. He has worked in museum curation at the Museum of the White Mountains in New Hampshire and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Max has worked with young people of varying ages from young children to young adults transitioning to college.

Feedback and Accountability

We grow through feedback and an understanding that the quality of our work is a reflection of what we are learning, but the shift to remote learning this spring disrupted a lot of the tools teachers were used to using to evaluate student growth. How might we do things differently this fall? Participants in this workshop will explore ways to bring meaningful assessment into the virtual and/or socially-distanced classroom and approaches to student feedback that strengthen motivation, and build relationships and achievement.