Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Schools

Educator pushes respect, technology at Mulrennen

By BRYAN BURNS
Published December 30, 2005

When Mulrennen Middle School teacher Jonathan Paul Watson typed up his application for Teacher of the Year, he had to use an antiquated typewriter.

The machine left his form riddled with erase marks and odd-looking letters.

"It actually crossed my mind that I would be disqualified," Watson said. "I thought there's no way they were going to choose me because of it."

Fortunately for Watson, the Hillsborough Education Foundation is more concerned with substance than style.

That group chose Watson, a seventh-grade geography teacher at Mulrennen, as one of its finalists for the Hillsborough Teacher of the Year award.

"I was ecstatic," said Quincenia Bell, Watson's principal. "He's just a fine gentleman, personally. . . . The kids really want to be a part of his classes."

One of the biggest reasons for his success as a teacher stems from the respect that he and his students have for each other, Watson said.

"Most students are really big on mutual respect," Watson said. "I let them know from day one that I will respect them. If you respect them, they're less prone to being disruptive."

Watson incorporates technology such as LCD projectors and laptops into his lessons to keep his class interesting.

He said he feels that the best way to motivate students is to create lesson plans that are relevant to their personal lives.

"I try to ask them questions that test them," Watson said. "Hopefully, they're engaged in that regard."

When the students respond with questions that test Watson, the 30-year-old teacher knows he has done his job.

"I like it when the students question me," Watson said.

"When they pick up on something I said earlier and challenge me later, then I know they're learning. When I have students like that, it drives me."

[Last modified December 29, 2005, 08:39:05]