We asked Stamford's two most recent Teachers of the Year, Debbie Swenson and Mary Jo Pittoni, to respond to the question, "What inspires you in your teaching? What follows is their response.

Debbie Swenson…

Debbie Swenson, Stamford's Teacher of the Year, 2000, teaches third grade at Newfield Elementary School.

Motivate, model, and make it fun! Finding the key to what really motivates a child to want to learn challenges me and inspires me to keep trying new ways of doing things. When I discover that magical key, I can see it in the students' faces. Their enthusiasm for learning becomes contagious. If I can take an ordinary learning situation and make it fun, the students will beg me to continue the activity for hours. Simply stated, they are learning, but doing it painlessly!

I feel strongly about helping children to believe in themselves and succeed in learning. If I can help the academically challenged students to find their strengths, when they believe they have none, I am inspired. I continually strive to find ways to make learning easier for those who struggle, and to help them believe in themselves. It's important to teach students to give themselves a pat on the back for small successes they have. Hopefully, these successes will motivate them to try their best and meet with increasingly greater academic successes in the future.

Mary Jo Pittoni…

Mary Jo Pittoni, Stamford's Teacher of the Year, 2001, teaches Language Arts at Scofield Magnet Middle School.

"Among the tribes of northern Natal in South Africa, the most common greeting equivalent to 'hello' in English is the expression: sawu bona. It literally means, 'I'll see you.' If you are a member of the tribe, you might reply 'Sikhona, I am here.' The order of the exchange is important: until you see me I don't exist. It's as if, when you see me, you bring me into existence."

When I read this passage in Peter Senge's book, Schools That Learn, it reminded me of what inspired me to become a teacher. Within me is an ability to SEE children, to respect them, and to acknowledge that we, as a team, can and will work together. Knowing that I have been given this gift inspires me to teach.

Inspiration comes in many packages. I suppose my parents, as my educational anchors, became my first source of inspiration. In their home I was motivated to become a life-long learner and to be open to possibility. My best teachers and my worst teachers showed me, by their example, what to do and what not to do in the classroom. Dedicated principals like Don Wentworth, Lynda Hautala and Karley Meltzer urged me to push students beyond their comfort zone to knowledge, thinking, and product. Howard Jennings continues to do so. Colleagues, some of whom taught my own children in the Stamford Public Schools, influenced me. Working in a magnet program, with flexible grouping, and a staff committed to the same philosophy, stimulates me daily. Seeking the best practice found in private schools and constantly searching nationally for best practices compels me forward.

Knowing the awesome role I play is a force providing inspiration for my work. Who I am, what I teach, and how I teach it really can transform the life of a child. Talking with students who return to visit and even teaching their own children over a course of thirty-three years is a testament to that. This and the many "aha" moments, when students gain understanding, propel me forward. Above all, on a daily basis I look to a Power greater than myself for inspiration, guidance and continued help.

We congratulate Joanne Schlectweg, Stamford's Teacher of the Year, 2002!