COLLEGE PARK, MD (April, 2014) Graduate students Karla Bercaw and Diana Lim are the recipients of this year's Marian Greenblatt Awards, which recognize scholarly excellence and a commitment to working with students with diverse needs among aspiring teachers at Montgomery County Public Schools. Ms. Bercaw is a paraeducator (instructional assistant) at Viers Mill Elementary, and in her student teaching as a Creative Initiatives in Teacher Education (CITE) intern has taught in fourth and second grade classrooms. Ms. Lim, who this summer will receive her Master's with certification in Secondary Mathematics Education, teaches Algebra II to a mix of 9th through 12th grade students at Montgomery Blair High School.
The principal at Viers Mill, Matt Devan, offered high praise for Bercaw: "She shows impressive initiative with her detailed plans and collaboration with grade-level teams. Her positive attitude, strong work ethic, and ability to make every situation a positive experience for the students she works with are a true asset to our school."
"As an aspiring teacher, I truly believe in establishing quality relationships with my students," Ms. Bercaw explains. "Working with two very different grade levels has given me skills for working with older and younger students, and it has emphasized the importance of truly getting to know my students."
Ms. Lim offered these reflections on her experiences: "I have learned that teachers play the role of instructor, mentor, entertainer, law enforcer, comedian, social worker, and role model. Needless to say, I have learned that teaching can be very overwhelming and it will require constant reflection and focused development with the help of other educators. Though I know that all of my students will not claim math to be their favorite subject at the end of the year, I now aspire for every one of them to recognize their capability to contribute knowledge and that there is value in their learning."
In addition to inspiration from her mentoring teachers, Teresa Brown and Shelly Niverth, Ms. Bercaw credits the CITE program and the support of its director, Jo Ellen Smallwood, with giving her a unique opportunity to grow as an educator. Ms. Lim expressed gratitude for the support and encouragement of two TLPL faculty members, lecturer John Seelke and doctoral fellow Dana Grosser-Clarkson.
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