Q&A: Urban Science Academy's Davis Named Educator of the Year

In a mere five years, Carmen Davis has gone from new teacher to being named a Boston Public Schools' Educator of the Year.
 
Davis is a math teacher at Urban Science Academy, one of the school in the West Roxbury Educational Complex. Davis, a Knowles Science Teaching Fellow alumni, is one of 14 (2 paraprofessionals, 2 counselors, and 10 classroom teachers) that were named Boston Public Schools' Educators of the Year.

The Educators of the Year program recognizes outstanding teachers, paraprofessionals, guidance counselors, school nurses and other educators who have made a unique contribution to their students, their classrooms, and their schools.

Davis answered some questions about winning the award and more:

Q: What does being Educator of the Year mean to you?

Davis: I am honored yet humbled by this experience.  On one hand it feels great to be recognized for a job in which most individuals' work and effort never get publicly recognized. It feels great to know that all of the hard work, dedication, and passion that I bring to the job is valued among my students, colleagues, and the city of Boston. But on the other hand I feel so unworthy because I know I have so much more growing to do. Each year my level of capacity and talent grows, so I know that the teacher I will be in five years will be much better than the teacher I am today. 

Q: What advice would you give to colleagues striving to be Educators of the Year?  

Davis: No educator enters this profession for the recognition, we all work simply for the greater good of humanity. The advice I would give to any teacher would be to 1) Always do what is best for your students and 2) Always work to get better at your craft (settling for just good enough is unacceptable).

Q: Your biggest challenges/successes in the classroom this year?

Davis: This past school year we transitioned from a traditional grading system to a performance based grading system. This presented many challenges because change is often hard to embrace. Trying to help my students, their parents, and even some of my colleagues understand this shift from coming to school to earn points to coming to school to learn was extremely challenging at times.

Q: How has the Knowles Science Teaching Foundation (KSTF) helped in your success?  

Davis: Without the resources and networks that KSTF provides I would not have had as many opportunities to grow professionally and personally as a educator. I have experienced exponential growth in my few years in this career and this is largely due to KSTF providing me the tools and spaces to become an innovative and reflective practitioner.