My teaching philosophy isn’t particularly glamorous or flashy, it won’t be gracing the front of any inspirational t-shirt or any classroom posters, but I have found it to be absolutely vital to the success of my students: failure is fundamental.

Failure of any kind can range from mildly uncomfortable to devastating on our emotions and psyche, but it is absolutely vital to the learning process. I teach at a high achieving middle school...like, really high achieving. Like, crying in the counselor’s office because I made a 95 on a math test instead of a 98, and my mom is gonna kill me high achieving. I don’t say this to brag, I can’t take credit for the priority our parents and community puts on education. I tell you this because while it’s awesome to have kids who care about their grades and strive for academic excellence, they are little bundles of nerves that navigate our halls like they are going into battle. The pressures put on my students at twelve and thirteen years of age is preventing them from taking the necessary risks imperative to learning. For many of our students, failure is to be avoided at all cost because of the inherent consequences from peers and parents, so as a result, they make excellent grades but are moving on to high school without learning the precious lessons of resilience, persistence and adapting to tough situations. I can’t allow that in my classroom, I can’t work or thrive in an environment where people can’t fail. I let my students know that early in the year. In my classroom, failure is okay, failure is actually fantastic, and for students wired to succeed at all costs, that can take some getting used to.

My students learn pretty early that risk taking is something that we embrace every day in class. We take risks in our class’ public performances whether it’s in giving speeches, mock debating, performing monologues or responding during a class discussion. The idea of performing in front of others is obviously terrifying for most of my students, so we spend time at the beginning of the year establishing the classroom as a safe space for students to feel comfortable enough to take those risks necessary to learning. The process of learning isn’t finished with making those mistakes. We take a long, hard look at those mistakes and have honest discussions about what we can do next time to improve and adapt.

Failure is never the end of the story. Students are required to make honest and realistic assessments of their learning and to set realistic and measurable goals for themselves. The reflection of their attempts, whether it resulted in a failure or a success, is a fundamental skill that I hope will assist them as they go through high school and college. I tell my students that my classroom is where the mistakes are made…when you go out into the world, you will make new ones, but you will have learned from the ones you make in here.

I can’t help but think if I had had a teacher that had made failure as acceptable and common as breathing, what would I have tried in middle school, high school, college? What opportunities did I pass up or miss because I didn’t have a teacher who emphasized the importance of making mistakes? I want students to leave my classroom knowing that it’s not about becoming an actor, debater, politician or lawyer. It’s not about which Ivy League school they will attend or if they are in the top 10% of their class. It’s about knowing that they felt the freedom to make as many mistakes as necessary in order to become the person they want to be. Did they hold back from participating in class because keeping their mouths shut was a more desirable option than speaking their mind and actively engaging in peer discourse? I want my students to take ownership of their learning, to push them to be the best version of themselves but most importantly to never, ever give up.

If I give my students the freedom and the level of comfort to take risks, make failure part of the learning process, they will prove to themselves that they can participate in class debates, perform for each other and can allow themselves to be emotionally vulnerable. If, for one moment, they can see that nothing will get them down and they are able to overcome any challenge they face and push through the disappointment of making mistakes, then my precious time with them will not have been...a failure.

RE: Lindsey Petropoulos Texas Speech Communication Educator of the Year

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing this letter of recommendation on behalf of Lindsey Petropoulos regarding her teaching position with Rice Middle School in Plano ISD and her nomination as the Texas Speech Communication Association Middle School Educator of the Year. Lindsey has served as the Rice Middle School speech and theatre teacher for thirteen years and is a dedicated speech coach and theatre director who also served as the Rice Middle School teacher of the year for 2012. Lindsey is an accomplished teacher who serves her students and creates an incredible environment for learning and growth in a highly successful debate program.

As a fine arts teacher and district leader, Lindsey serves as a curriculum writer for our middle school speech and debate classes. She has helped develop quality curriculum for basic speech and two levels of dedicated middle school debate. Lindsey also serves as a point person for our extra curriculum debate program and assists in the scheduling and operation of four local middle school tournaments. She has served on countless committees and is the person all of our middle school teachers look to for guidance in teaching debate to middle school students.

As a speech and debate teacher and coach, you will find no one more dedicated and worthy of the accolade of educator of the year. Lindsey goes well beyond her duties to assure that her students have the opportunity and the training to learn the art of debate and to compete at a very high level. She challenges her students to perform well beyond their years and inspires them to continue in debate well beyond middle school. Each year, I attend the Plano West Senior High School speech banquet, and each year, the students who left her program years prior, profess their appreciation for their middle school speech and debate teacher, Mrs. Petropoulos, and her inspiration to study debate.

Lindsey Petropoulos is an exceptional example of excellence in teaching. She is one of the most organized, dedicated, trustworthy, intelligent and inspiring teachers around. It is with great pride that I get the opportunity to write a letter of recommendation for such an incredible distinction. It is my hope that you, too, will find Lindsey Petropoulos worthy of the TSCA Middle School Educator of the year distinction.

Sincerely,
Gregory S. Arp
Coordinator Speech & Theatre
Plano ISD Coordinator Theatre & Speech
Plano Independent School District – Fine Arts Department

To Whom It May Concern,

Lindsey Petropoulos epitomizes the role of a teacher and leader at Rice Middle School. She is a master teacher that leads her students to excellence in the classroom. I have had the pleasure to work with Mrs. Petropoulos over the last 14 years, five as her assistant principal and nine as her principal. During this time, Mrs. Petropoulos has lead her students to success in speech and debate which has been evident through the many accolades and awards they have received. Students truly grow and learn from Mrs. Petropoulos in her classroom. She is an amazing teacher who wants the best for her students, and I recommend her without hesitation for the Texas Speech Communications Association (TSCA) middle school educator of the year.

Mrs. Petropoulos has led her speech students to multiple district championships throughout the years, and even when they aren’t winning, they are a top school in the standings. The community and district respect her devotion to the students and the program. This respect is evident through the large number of students who participate in her classes and clubs. Mrs. Petropoulos often volunteers to help with curriculum development at the district level and is asked for input by district administration. Rice Middle School is a top program due to Mrs. Petropoulos’ tenacity and desire to push her students.

Mrs. Petropoulos is a natural leader not only on campus, but in the district as well. Throughout the years at Rice, Mrs. Petropoulos has been recognized for her excellence in teaching. She was the Rice Middle School Teacher of the Year for the 2011-2012 school year, received the PTA Lifetime Membership Award, and was a finalist for the National Merit Inspirational Teacher in 2017. She also served as the TSCA middle school chair last year. She is a part of the leadership team at Rice as the electives team leader and takes on roles to help assist teachers and staff whenever she is able. Mrs. Petropoulos also seeks out ways to grow professionally through professional development, workshops and book studies. She is an asset to the school and the community.

Mrs. Petropoulos creates a positive learning environment in her classroom. She is a forward-thinker who is not afraid to try new approaches to maximize the learning opportunities for her students. She wants all of her students to be successful, but more importantly to gain a true appreciation and understanding of the subject. If all teachers in the building were as skillful at developing relationships, bringing a love of learning and willing to do what it takes for full student success as Mrs. Petropoulos is, the students at Rice would know no boundaries.

Mrs. Petropoulos has a positive attitude and is a teacher I am able to go to for almost anything. She has a growth mindset and is always willing to lend a hand when asked. The recognition of TSCA Middle School Educator of the Year is a well-deserved honor for Mrs. Petropoulos. I believe she embodies the characteristics you are seeking for this award, and I highly recommend her and know she will be an exemplary representation of the TSCA.

Sincerely,

Chris Glasscock, Principal

To Whom It May Concern:

John F. Kennedy once said: “The time for people to embrace their passion is now.” Lindsey Petropoulos manifests this statement to its greatest. The writing of this letter of recommendation is one that makes me proud. Lindsey is a person that has an ethical foundation that makes her an outstanding educator.

Lindsey is intelligent and thorough and should be titled: “The woman that can change the world.” Meeting Lindsey as a competitive speech coach is how I came to know and admire this truly caring woman. Lindsey’s participation in the state and local speech community, committees and other activities make her well-rounded and beg the question; “Are there that many hours in the day?” Today we look for “loyal” people and Lindsey Petropoulos is as loyal as they come. She has a “spirit” and a drive and an ability to make the impossible, possible.

Ms. Petropolis is an educator that shares her vision of a win-win scenario for children. She makes her students feel empowered and to be their best, so she can get the best out of her students. Her ability to foster a growth mindset for her students is refreshing. Lindsey works collaboratively with other speech and theatre educators to ensure the needs of her students are met. She accomplishes these tasks with great initiative and commitment.

Knowing Lindsey Petropoulos as an educator I have watched her be an educator that understands the importance of communication and how to mentor other educational professionals to be their best. It is at times like these that you reflect and ponder what to write. I, in my simplest truth must say, Lindsey Petropoulos will make TSCA proud as a recipient of Educator of the Year. Lindsey is a woman that embraces her passion.

Robert Shepard
Director of Forensics
Plano Senior High School

I’m writing to enthusiastically recommend Lindsey Petropoulos as TSCA Middle School Educator of the Year. Lindsey teaches students in sixth, seventh, and eighth graders at Rice Middle School to be both competent in and passionate about Speech and Debate events. Most will then continue in ninth and tenth grades at Jasper High School, and then in eleventh and twelfth grades at Plano West Senior High School. There are thirteen middle schools with speech programs in Plano, the base upon which our success is built, and the health and vitality of the Rice Speech and Debate program is second to none.

Ms. Petropoulos is the catalyst, the spark that ignites so many kids’ interest in learning these events, finding the evidence they’ll need, developing their presentation skills, and collaborating to build a strong team. She also harnesses their natural competitive instincts to drive continuous growth, and helps them keep it in balance with an awareness of kindness and professionalism that demonstrates maturity beyond most others their age.

At the center of the circus of activity scattered through many different classrooms, common areas, and hallways all over Rice middle school for hours after school as kids practice for upcoming tournaments, you’ll find Lindsey, generally the calm, unflustered ringmaster, but occasionally you’ll hear the warning growls of a watchful mother, or see the sparkle of a Broadway star, all coming from her.

She has confident mastery of all those roles, but underneath it all she’s the power, the organizer and the planner. You can see it all come together in the tab rooms at four Plano middle school speech and debate tournaments each year. Lindsey’s a ready and enthusiastic collaborator, helping pull her middle school peers together to offer kids opportunities seldom available before high school, a major contribution to their later success, when it’s easy to see that this isn’t their first rodeo.

Ms. Petropoulos also uses technology effectively to allow her students to learn while reducing the limitations of time and location. And once she’s connected them, she doesn’t let them go. I know, because they’re my students later, and they come to me asking for permission to go help Rice kids after school, for which I can give them NSDA points. Everybody wins!

Most importantly, Lindsey Petropoulos is a community builder. She starts by engaging kids. She begins, develops, and maintains relationships that become communities of value among students, among teachers, among parents, and within our larger communities. We’re able to see and enjoy the results of Lindsey’s work, creativity, and commitment that continue to strengthen Jasper, Plano West, TFA, NSDA and beyond, but it all starts with her. I’m proud and honored to recommend Lindsey Petropoulos as TSCA Middle School Educator of the Year.

Tom McCaffrey
Jasper High School
Director, Speech and Debate

If given the freedom to do so, I could easily write an entire novel chronicling the countless different ways that Ms. Petropoulos has impacted me as a student and as a person. Nevertheless, her passion for teaching could best be encapsulated in two key words: selflessness and dedication.

First, Ms. Petropoulos is truly one of the most selfless individuals, let alone educators, that I’ve had the privilege to know. I can still vividly remember all the school days before our Speech and Debate tournaments when it was pitch black outside, with not a single other teacher left in the school other than Ms. Petropoulos. Whether it was the break of dawn or the last light of day, Ms. Petropoulos, without fail, would be there in her classroom every single time eagerly waiting to greet her students and work with them. She’s the type of teacher that students can always rely on for any type of support. Whether it was about schoolwork or simply a stressful life situation, there were always students popping in and out of her classroom before and after class just to get the chance to talk to her and receive her advice. Ms. Petropoulos truly believes in the value of amplifying the voices of young students. She puts in the extra time to not only listen, but genuinely get to understand the thoughts, feelings, and perspectives of her students, tying into yet another defining feature about Ms. Petropoulos: she is never complacent and is always seeking different ways to improve the learning experiences of her students. I can still recall Ms. Petropoulos dedicating countless hours into extensively researching new speaking drills and resources that she could provide her students. She was always receptive to any and all suggestions that students had to improve the class experience, readily implementing changes as they were needed. Though it was never required of her, Ms. Petropoulos wouldn’t hesitate to spend as much extra time as a student needed in order to help them improve.

Furthermore, Ms. Petropoulos’s dedication to her students doesn’t just end once they leave her classroom. In fact, I’ve rarely seen a teacher maintain as close of a relationship with their past students as Ms. Petropoulos. She truly does care about their personal growth and development as individuals and is genuinely invested in their future success, demonstrating the degree of commitment that she has to her students not just as students but as people. A testament to this is her unabating enthusiasm in supporting the current ventures of her former students. Despite not being expected to do so or necessarily receiving anything in return, Ms. Petropoulos truly views teaching as more than just a profession, but rather an obligation to make a genuine impact on the lives of her students, doing any and everything needed to accomplish that.

The lessons and influences that an impactful teacher imparts on their students transcends the classroom or even the time they have with you. I truly can’t think of a better teacher that encapsulates such a notion than Ms. Petropoulos.

To the Texas Speech Communication Association,

I’m thrilled to recommend my former speech and debate coach Lindsey Petropoulos for the TSCA Middle School Educator of the Year award. During my two years at Rice Middle School, she consistently encouraged and challenged me to work harder than I had ever tried before. The wide variety of skills I learned from her have helped me tremendously throughout both high school debate and my later education. Her seemingly-endless energy, devotion to the team, and funny, sassy teaching style quickly engages every student in her class, which is why I recommend her for this award without reservation.

As a shy and socially-awkward seventh grader, I was shocked when I followed a friend and found myself at the first speech and debate club meeting of the year. The room was overflowing with students, many of them wearing team t-shirts covered in the club’s slogan: “We do for fun what others fear more than death”. Although for me public speaking definitely fell in the “feared worse than death” category, I decided to sign up for the club and her “Speech 1” class anyways—a choice that I’m now incredibly glad I made. In just a few short months, she encouraged me to try and explore all kinds of events, from PF debate to extemp and duo interpretation. Through her class, she converted my reluctance into motivation, my awkward pauses into confident speeches, and my adolescent restlessness into focus.

It’s hard to summarize all of the incredible things she does for the Rice team, but there are two aspects of her teaching that I particularly remember—the attention she gave to each and every student, and her ability to give especially candid, straightforward feedback. In the weeks right before each tournament, she would require every single competitor to perform their piece in front of her, either before or after school. I still don’t know how she managed to do it all: as the only coach of the largest middle school speech and debate programs in the district, with 80 to 100+ entries at each tournament, she still made sure that every student got the one-on-one attention that they deserved. After listening to me, she would carefully dissect my performance, giving suggestions on improving everything from stage movements to word pronunciations. Looking back, she knew how to give feedback in a way that would push us to try harder, but avoiding discouraging us: a crucial talent in coaching a middle school program. When critiquing each other’s performances during class, she taught us to combine suggestions for improvement with praise for what they did well. Years after learning this, I still actively use it with some of my classmates and coworkers.

Ms. Petropoulos’ efforts are instrumental to the Rice team’s continued success. We won the city championship three years in a row, as well as nearly a dozen consecutive tournaments. When I went back to visit years after I graduated, I found that the team still continues to excel. Her students have been successful at a wide range of competitions, from our local district tournaments, to the Stanford Invitational and the NSDA Middle School Nationals. For me, her class was the spark that inspired me to dive into speech and debate. In fact, I used to frequently hear my high school teammates say “Oh, I would never have chosen to compete in X event in high school if I hadn't tried it out at Rice”. Our middle school experience gave us an edge over even much older competitors, helping us place at varsity tournaments my freshman year. And for the students that currently attend Rice, she is an incredible source of knowledge and guidance. Because of the countless hours she has spent establishing the team, running tournaments, and teaching classes, she is among the most impactful middle school speech and debate coaches in all of North Texas. Ms. Lindsey Petropoulos absolutely deserves to win the Educator of the Year Award.