Teaching Philosophy:
Mary Ellen Sablick, Awardee

May 16, 2007

Rice Middle School
Math 8, Honors Algebra 1, Power Math 8

The one thing that a teacher can do that will positively influence student achievement is to have conviction.

A teacher with conviction believes that every student is capable of learning and achieving success. A teacher with conviction has the wisdom to know that students have different learning styles and she is not afraid to differentiate the curriculum to meet the needs of each student.

Mary Ellen is congratulated by Keith Braley, president of the Plano ISD Education Foundation.

A teacher with conviction is filled with passion for the subject matter and continues to grow with advances in technology, advances in the subject matter, and advances in brain research and its effects on student learning.

A teacher with conviction has the boldness to try new methods and tools, knowing that such attempts may not always prove successful.

A teacher with conviction creates a learning environment where each student feels that he can achieve his goals. A teacher with conviction attempts to make a lasting connection with each and every student. A teacher with conviction has the faith and belief that he can make a difference in each student's life and education.

A teacher with conviction has the confidence to collaborate with colleagues. When a teacher takes an active role as part of the team, his own mastery level and that of the team increases exponentially.

A teacher with conviction has the confidence to partner with parents and the community to support the achievement of each student. A teacher with conviction is a problem solver. When obstacles appear he does not complain but tries to solve the problem and remove the obstacle. He has the resolve to try different strategies. A teacher with conviction has focus.

Sometimes the vision is blurry and strained but the teacher with conviction always has the correct image in mind. The student.

Principal's Recommendation

Mary Ellen Sablick is a superior teacher. She certainly knows the subject of math, but that is not the primary factor that makes her a superior teacher. Mary Ellen has a passion for math and a belief that all students can be successful in math.

Her passion and confidence spills over to her students and facilitates a positive classroom environment where students no longer are afraid they will fail. Once students start to believe they might be successful in math, they start to feel safe and are willing to take risks.

Evidence of Mary Ellen's superiority is easy to find. She is always willing to do whatever it takes to help her students. This includes long hours for tutorials, meetings with parents and teachers, and endless patience. Mary Ellen is relentless when it comes to helping students.

Further evidence of Mary Ellen's superiority is that she is a model for other teachers. Mary Ellen serves as the Math Department Head and she is an outstanding leader. Mary Ellen inspires her department and motivates them to try harder and to keep looking for ways to help students.

Mary Ellen pours over TAKS data as soon as it is available and uses that data to develop strategies to address the needs of the students. But while Mary Ellen uses data to help determine the student's needs, she keeps her focus on the students, not the data.

A third area Mary Ellen excels in is communicating with parents. Parents know she cares about their child because of the time she is willing to give, the tone in her voice, and the words she chooses to use. Parents trust Mary Ellen Sablick.

They are willing to talk to her, listen to her and collaborate with her. Her gift of establishing trust with parents is essential to creating a working partnership between home and school.

Mary Ellen helps all students at Rice Middle School. She teaches the high school Honors Algebra 1 class to our strong math students and she has developed and taught a campus based Power Math curriculum for our students struggling in math.

The goal of Power Math to increase the student's confidence in their math ability. It is designed to be fun and supportive. Mary Ellen Sablick does it all: teaches, leads and visualizes!

Sincerely,

Gail Stelter