By Johnna Pinholster
VALDOSTA — Gwen Deselle, Georgia Teacher of the Year for 2009-2010, imparted words of wisdom to future teachers Wednesday.
Deselle, a history teacher at Colquitt County High School, addressed Valdosta State University students who are bound for the classroom. Deselle has received three degrees from VSU, her first coming in 1976, her second in 1977, and her third in 2002, she said.
She discussed the Georgia Performance Standards and provided tips on how to execute the standards in class while maintaining the student’s attention.
She began her teaching career at Valdosta High School before going back to her hometown of Moultrie.
Deselle instructed the students to engage learners and never assign busy work.
“If you are teaching the standards, you are not giving any busy work,” she said. “If you are assigning busy work, you are not doing your job.”
Students are not any smarter or dumber now than they were in the 1970s, Deselle said.
Put lessons in a language they understand. As young teachers coming into the field, they will have a better understanding of slang and teenage culture, she said. Novelty and humor are effective for creating engaging lessons, Deselle said.
Create a classroom environment that is aesthetically pleasing but not too busy, she said.
“A beautiful room does not necessarily facilitate learning,” Deselle said. “Don’t get so caught up in being Martha Stewart that you forget to teach.”
She urged the teachers to team with a veteran like herself to exchange information and get keys on what works.
Make sure to let the students shine, Deselle said, contact the student newspaper or local newspaper about activities and invite the principal, the superintendent and members of the board to the classroom.
Deselle has been teaching at Colquitt County High School for 28 years and spent four years at VHS.
She became passionate about history as a little girl. Growing up, the only books she had access to were biographies, which cultivated an appreciation of history, Deselle said.
Her favorite eras to teach are Victorian England in World History and the Progressive era in U.S. History, she said.
She was awarded Georgia Teacher of the Year status in June, a mantle that involves a lot of traveling and visiting schools throughout the state.
In April, Deselle will travel to Washington, D.C., where she will be one of 50 nominees for National Teacher of the Year.
While in Washington, she will meet President Barack Obama and tour the White House, she said.
