Stephanie Kinsey, recently chosen BCMS Teacher of the Year, is an exceptional educator who uses various strategies to encourage students to learn and excel. She is devoted to positively impacting her students' lives. Her love for teaching and her students inspires her to use innovative methods to stimulate curiosity and promote lifelong learning.
Principal Lisa Saxon at BCMS describes her as "a remarkable teacher who significantly impacts all her students. Her passion for science is infectious, which is evident in her enthusiastic and engaging teaching style. She goes the extra mile to ensure that every student understands the lessons taught in her classroom".
Kinsey currently teaches 8th Grade Science at BCMS.
Recently, she taught her students a lesson on the periodic table, and her unique teaching methods made the lesson memorable, interesting, and engaging for the students.
Kinsey uses the Georgia Standards of Excellence as a framework for success and sets high expectations for her students in learning and respecting others and themselves.
Audrey Lusk and Zaylee Thomas, 8th graders this school year, were part of the lesson.
"Mrs. Kinsey takes her time to teach us; she gives us short bursts of notes, and then we learn the concept. She makes learning easy", stated Lusk.
"We also do a lot of preview before we actually do an assignment. That makes it a little easier, and I feel more successful when I do the assignment since we learned everything beforehand, " added Thomas.
Kinsey also uses peer reviewing and peer teaching/reteaching to help students understand content better. She uses "hook" videos to engage students and draw them into wanting to learn more about the subject.
"I try to provide opportunities for students to work together in groups to review and reinforce the material they have learned. Many students enjoy working together. It helps them learn differently".
Kinsey added that using "verbal repetition and kill/ drill questions" helps tremendously in helping students learn important content.
Another strategy that Kinsey uses is the organization of class materials, such as color-coding, highlighting, and using notebooks or folders. She also gives students choices and options in assignments, which helps them feel more empowered and motivated to learn.
In addition to her methods of instruction, Kinsey also incorporates technology-based practices, such as IXL, Study Island, Hyperdocs, and Webquests. She uses paper-based guided notes and projects to help students retain information. She provides students with rubrics and models of expectations (exemplars) so they can compare their work and make necessary changes.
To assess student learning, Kinsey uses Masteryconnect Assessments (tests and quizzes) and reports data, study island reports, content projects, one-on-one and small group time with the student(s), and question and answer sessions (verbal).
To help students who miss class time, Kinsey posts class resources, including assignments and note guides, in Google Classroom. (Google Classroom is an online platform where assignments, notes, and grades are accessible to students and parents).
Banks County Middle School teachers participate in weekly Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), where teachers share ideas about what is successful in the school and areas that need improvement. Kinsey actively participates in those meetings and shares her strategies with her peers.
The school also has a School Improvement Plan (SIP) that targets specific areas for improvement, one of which is student achievement.
Kinsey believes the best way to increase student achievement is to provide a comfortable and safe environment for the students to learn. She encourages students to ask questions and seek clarification when unsure about a topic, which helps students feel confident and engaged in the learning process.
"I believe that teaching is a calling, and my students inspire me to be a better teacher and person. It is incredible when my students have a "lightbulb moment" and become proud of themselves. Seeing them help another struggling student makes me proud".
Kinsey will be recognized at the Board of Education for the Teacher of the Year banquet in November. Kinsey is one of three other teachers in the district who will compete for District Teacher of the Year.