In her portfolio submitted for the Arkansas Teacher of the Year program, Kathy Glewen said that while some of her teaching philosophy has changed since she became a teacher in 1983, many key aspects have remained the same. She said she believes establishing relationships with both students and parents, creating a safe and nurturing environment for children to learn in, and having a classroom full of enthusiasm for learning are all important elements to education.
Glewen was chosen as one of the 15 regional finalists for the Arkansas Teacher of the Year program. Glewen, who teaches literacy to fifth-graders at Southwest Middle School in Searcy, said it is an honor to be recognized as one of the finalists for the program.
On Tuesday, Glewen attended a ceremony in Little Rock with the other regional finalists for the Arkansas Teacher of the Year program. Although she was not chosen as one of the top-four finalists for the program, she said the experience validated her passion for teaching children.
“It was such an honor and such a humbling experience,” Glewen said. “One of the highlights was to stand between Gov. Beebe and Education Commissioner Tony Wood — who are both from Searcy — and to stand there with them, I felt such pride and honor to be a part of this community.”
Glewen said her inspiration to teach was her second-grade teacher, Ellen Rowton, in Kennett, Missouri.
“I thought she knew everything,” Glewen said. “She was so energetic, and she made all of us believe that she loved every single one of us.”
When Glewen was attending Arkansas State University, she had the opportunity to go home and do her student teaching under Rowton. Glewen said that was an “eye-opening experience” as she learned that her favorite teacher did not have the structure Glewen expected to bring to her own classroom.
While Glewen said she does not have the same teaching style as Rowton, watching her former teacher in action taught Glewen what makes a good teacher. It’s not necessarily teaching style or classroom structure, Glewen said, but it is about caring for the students.
“It taught me that the most important thing is that these children that are with me daily know that I love them, and I want what’s best for them,” she said.
Glewen said she tries to find ways to engage students while they learn. Last year, she incorporated Genius Hour — a concept aimed at fostering exploration and creativity — into her classroom. Genius Hour is based on the philosophy of Google, a company that allows its engineers to spend 20 percent of their time at work developing their own ideas and projects.
In the classroom, Genius Hour is when students get to pick a topic to research and then eventually present their findings to the class. Glewen approves each topic, and the students take time in class to research and learn more about that topic.
“We want them to be able to search for an answer,” she said. “What happens is one question leads to another, which leads to another, and then it becomes deeper knowledge. They then present it to the class. It felt at times like some children were little professors.”
Glewen said the response from the students was great, and the freedom they had to research topics that were of interest to them motivated them and pushed them to gain more knowledge.
“The reality of life and school is that you can’t make everything exciting,” Glewen said. “We do our best. I have very high expectations for every child in this room, no matter what their ability level might be.”
Glewen has been teaching for the Searcy Public Schools since 2005, and before she and her family moved back to central Arkansas, she had opportunities to teach all over the world. Glewen’s husband, Chris, is retired from the military, and his assignments took the family to the Netherlands and Hawaii.
For three years, Glewen taught combination classes of either third- and fourth-graders or fifth- and sixth-graders at the Department of Defense Dependents School in the Netherlands, and then for three years, she taught special education at Holomua Elementary School in Hawaii.
“It’s been such a blessing to have such a diverse background in education,” she said. “I’ve been able to see many aspects of education in different parts of the world. Not everybody gets that opportunity.”
Still, Glewen said she is thrilled to be working in Searcy, where it is apparent that the community and the administration are passionate about education.
“I taught in many places, and this is by far one of the best districts I’ve been in,” she said. “Our kids are very fortunate to be where they are.”
Outside of teaching, Glewen is a member at West Side Church of Christ, a sponsor for Harding University’s social organization Delta Nu and a facilitator of the spelling bee at Southwest Middle School.
Staff writer Angela Spencer can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or aspencer@arkansasonline.com.