Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 3/31/2021
EASTHAMPTON – Two fourth grade teachers from the Easthampton Public Schools have been recognized as winners of the Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching Awards.
Jill Collins of Center/Pepin Elementary and Margaret Betts of Maple Elementary are recipients of the Harold Grinspoon award that “annually honors more than 100 outstanding Western Massachusetts educators in Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden counties, and seeks to motivate teachers at all stages of their careers to aspire to excellence.”
Each teacher was recommended by their colleagues and superintendent at Easthampton Public Schools for their abilities to shift and manage classrooms during remote learning in “monumental ways.”
“You’re nominated by your colleagues, so it feels really great to have people recognize your work,” said Betts. “It’s a wild year, and everyone in Easthampton has been working hard.”
Betts, who has been teaching in Easthampton for 13 years, carries a background in remote technologies such as Zoom, so she was able to offer a lot of technological support for her colleagues during these unprecedented times.
“That felt really great that my district allowed me to help in that way,” she said.
Despite her ability to help where needed, Betts added that the transition to remote learning this year came with a learning curve, because teachers had to adjust to how they interact and observe student progress in an online setting.
“Being able to do that remotely took a lot of extra work, and it was just really challenging because none of us had really done that before,” said Betts.
At the beginning of the school year, Betts said she was determined to connect with students and families as much as possible. She said that she was in a fortunate position because she had already developed relationships with students she taught in the past when they were in first grade.
“I’ve witnessed people making really wonderful connections with teachers they’ve never met,” said Betts. “And I certainly have done that too.”
To enhance learning while remote, Betts spearheads weekly surveys that asks students questions about the week and what they like to see more of. For example, she has a weekly playlist of music curated by the students that she plays every morning to get them engaged.
“I became a teacher because I felt like it was the most valuable way to impact a person’s life,” said Betts, who was a public defender before a teacher. “I think teaching has proved to me that it is the place where one can really help improve and positively impact your community.”
Collins finds similar enjoyment in interacting with students, and making a long-term impact on their lives. “Kids are just so fun, creative, and curious,” she said. “I’ve always loved kids, and as much as there are frustrations about being in the education field, it’s the kids themselves that keep me coming back.”
The Center/Pepin teacher, who is in her fourth year in Easthampton; and taught 10 years in Worcester and South Hadley before that, was equally lauded for building a strong classroom community in a tough year. Collins and her fourth grade teaching partner Hannah Elliot collaborated to start a Social Justice Professional Learning Community that incorporates reading and other discussion surrounding social justice issues in the classroom.
“We both were really feeling like this was important, not only for our class, but we really wanted it to become something that the school and even the district would embrace,” said Collins.
The curriculum director at the school hired Collins and Elliot as a facilitator director to help facilitate a professional learning community and to also develop a curriculum regarding social justice issues to be used in grades K-4.
“Every month, we have basically introduced a new topic; we’ve been able to talk about what we’ve planned with our fellow staff,” said Collins, who added that the curriculum is still in progress due to the challenges faced by the pandemic. “The word is out, and the community is informed, and a lot of teachers have started doing these lessons.”
Even with the COVID-19 challenges, Collins said that she has continued to build relationships with students through the main Zoom meeting room, as well as the individual breakout rooms. “I have really encouraged letting them share about things that are happening to them,” said Collins, who also teaches her students how to take care of themselves, and stay happy on a day-to-day basis.
“I’ve been acknowledging that it is a collaborative effort all around,” said Collins. “All of us are working hard in various ways, and we’re all in this together.”
Both Collins and Betts will be recognized by the Grinspoon Foundation during a virtual ceremony this spring.
“It really has been a nice feeling to be recognized,” said Collins, who added that it was unexpected. “It’s definitely an honor.”