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Recently, Englert was among 20 K-12 teachers and teaching groups named to USA Today's All-USA Teacher Second Team. The newspaper honored teachers and instructional teams "as representatives of all outstanding teachers in American schools." Second- and third-team members received certificates.
If anything, Englert said, such accolades reassure parents that her teaching methods are sound. But they're not why Englert has continued teaching for 22 years.
Her motivation? "The students," Englert says. "When they recognize or realize something new, the excitement they get - I can feel that excitement too. It's a vicarious thrill. Changing somebody's life is a powerful reason to stay in a job."
Englert earned her bachelor's degree in elementary education from the University of Florida in 1977 and returned to school years later for her master's in education at Old Dominion. She and her husband, David, live in Chesapeake. Their son, Michael, 26, is a graduate student in psychology at the University of Memphis.
Despite her assorted awards and experience, Englert said her confidence in her work is constantly reinforced by her students. Even when she was at Old Dominion, under the guidance of former faculty member Rose Sinicrope, now at East Carolina University, Englert said she knew what she wanted to do: teach.
"I always wanted to be in the classroom," she said. "I never wanted to leave. She [Sinicrope] opened my eyes to a totally different way of approaching math instruction. I hadn't looked at mathematics as more than arithmetic. That bled over into [my] other areas of study."
One of Sewells Point's lead math teachers, Englert also mentors teachers, leads staff development sessions and conducts workshops for parents.
Her less didactic, student-centered approach initially confused some of her students' parents, who were schooled in traditional math.
"We used to look for one right answer, but there might be more than one way to get there," Englert said. "It's not as rigid as it used to be."
But when parents saw that the students were engaged by her teaching, in which the process the child uses to get to an answer is valued as much as the answer in determining grades, they were convinced.
"I really push the students as far as they can go," Englert said. "I put lots of discovery opportunities into everything. I really try and make connections every place I can - with their home life and with other subjects - to help them construct their understanding."
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