Sanford Middle School

It is my privilege to introduce Chantelle Edwards as Sanford Middle’s “Rookie” Teacher of the Year. Although Ms. Edwards has only taught for one year, her students are learning Science through a critical lense.  They are building their background knowledge, and are making connections throughout her lessons.  Ms. Edwards challenges her students to meet the next academic objective by emphasizing quality work.  She does this by differentiating instruction, scaffolding her questions, and providing examples where possible.

Likewise, Ms. Edwards has a strong sense of how to effectively implement Webb’s level of questioning throughout her lessons; her students are constantly evaluating, synthesizing and explaining. They help one another think and answer questions appropriately during inquiry-based labs and when working in learning stations.

With attention to struggling readers and effective reading strategies, Ms. Edwards asks students to predict, summarize, and clarify.  She pairs them in cooperative teams and employs Kagan strategies such as think-pair-share and science jigsaw.  She circulates well and provides feedback where necessary.  Ms. Edwards is devoted to her students. She gives them the confidence to be something greater than they are.  They can explain what they know; what they want to know; and what they have learned.

Ms. Edwards is everything but a rookie.  This “All-star” will challenge any MVP with her determination and drive.  Her students are moving, exploring, and working equally hard for a common goal.  We applaud Ms. Edwards for her efforts and are proud to honor her for being one of our very best.