Wednesday, April 20, 2022

Winning the Super Teacher Award of Taichung City 111年臺中市SUPER教師獎


https://bit.ly/39dlxCR

https://bit.ly/39dlxCR



「專業‧典範‧卓越」——  111年臺中市SUPER教師獎名單出爐


恭喜🎉 李國禎老師榮獲「111年臺中市SUPER教師獎」(進軍全國賽)

With a rigorous and highly competitive selection process, I won this prestigious award for the junior high category and will be going national. 

 

It was my honor to be nominated and represent my school to compete with other driven and innovative teachers. Without a shadow of a doubt, winning the Super Teacher Award and being the only candidate for the national junior high category of Taichung City, for the time being, is the most outstanding achievement in my career.  

 

The Selection Process

 

It involves multiple steps: 


1. A thirty-page long journal to display your teaching philosophy, award-winning history, impact on the students, cascading knowledge and experience among professionals, etc. 

 

2. A demonstration class with a panel of judges observing in the classroom to show off how your students are motivated and respond to your lesson planning and delivery. 

 

3. A 15-minute presentation and the Q and A session to further elaborate on what you included in the journal and answer some challenging questions. 

 

4. An interview with your principal, colleagues, students, and even some parents for the judges to verify everything you said in the journal and presentation. 

 

Competition Criteria

 

As the title of the award suggests, you need to be:

 

Strategic: being resourceful and able to adopt a variety of teaching strategies 

Unique: being creative in your way regarding teaching approaches

Passionate: the love of life and your profession, along with good people skills

Effective: motivating students to become autonomous learners so that they will learn effectively

Responsive: the care for your students and the parents' needs, complete with a desire for a positive impact on the society

 

Highlights and Challenges

 

With my teaching blog, I've got so many materials to feature in my journal. The embedded QR codes aim to invite the judges for a more detailed description, including video clips, lesson plans, worksheets, and PowerPoint presentations of the lessons. Simply put, I not only talk the talk but walk the walk. For example, I've been devoted to student English competitions and government-funded projects for my school, including winning the International School Award by British Council Taiwan twice, and two championships in the Taichung Junior High Readers' Theater Competition.

 

To top it off, I got accepted into the AE E-Teacher/OPEN exchange program funded by the State Department and went to the U.S. for an English teaching seminar twice in Detroit and San Diego. They picked me not because I did very well in the online English teaching courses and was able to implement action plans and share what I learned with teachers. 

 

My school didn't have any FETs, dedicated international education classrooms, or supportive staff back then while I was working on the ISA, RT, and sister school partnership projects. However, with determination and perseverance, I pulled everything off against all odds and enjoyed every single moment of it. 

 

I worked my ass off to take my mind off life struggles and frustrations. My mom was diagnosed with dementia two years ago, and it got so bad that we had to make a difficult decision to register her in a nursing home. I was so afraid that she might think she got abandoned. I had to leave the office many times and withdraw into myself in the car, weeping and then wailing.  

 

Acceptance Speech    

 

"We have two lives, and the second begins when we realize we only have one." 

 

First and foremost, I am grateful for what I have. I am proud to make things happen. I would like to share this glory and honor with my family, especially my mother. 

 

Without the support of the principal, the staff, and my colleagues and students, I can't pull all these off and win this Super Teacher Award. Principal Hu Jin-jhih helped proofread my journal on her birthday night. Director Hong Lian-yi was being warm-hearted. Chairwoman Chen Jhen-yao and Chairman Jhang Jyun-cheng aided back and forth communication with the Taichung Teachers' Union and Association. Of course, I appreciated my colleagues and students for putting in good words for me during the interview. 

 

"It's not going to be easy, but it's going to be worth it."

 

When you're fighting an uphill battle and want to give up halfway through, just hang in there and wait for the "Aha!" moment to come, for you believe you will make it and bask in your moment of glory. That's exactly what I'm doing right now, blogging about the winning of my very first individual competition as a teacher. 

 

Now I'm going national to compete with all the other award-winners. As always, I'll be putting in my 100% and hope for the best. With or without winning the national award, I'm going to enjoy what I do and take on more challenges to make a difference, for I am in relentless pursuit of a sense of accomplishment and get more teachers as well as students to also feel the need and fun of USING English.  






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