Each year at this time the HCPS Teacher of the Year Program gets underway. This year, North Harford’s nomination is English teacher Mrs. Kathleen Lemke. She teachers various English classes, is an advisor of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), and runs the Care Closet at the Nest.
Principal Mr. Brian Pawlicki was a part of the team that selected Lemke as North Harford’s nomination. According to the principal, anyone can nominate teachers and then when it is time, through the HCPS website; the administration gets a list of which teachers have been nominated. The administration selects a teacher from this pool of nominees.
Pawlicki added that when deciding, they look at many different aspects of a teacher’s effect on the school. These aspects include, “performance in class, student engagement, outside interaction with students, and service to the school.” Not only do they observe those aspects, but the administration also looks at the nominee’s overall “energy” and their “unique and engaging lessons.”
Lemke “has always had a dynamic style of teaching” and “students enjoy” being in her classes, according to Pawlicki. Not only does Lemke make a difference in the classroom, but “she has stepped up with the Care Closet and her service to the school.” He added that the English teacher has well performing “instructional classroom strategies” that make her worthy of being North Harford’s nomination. Pawlicki also pointed out that during school spirit weeks, “she promotes” spirit by being one of the most dressed up teachers.
Many of her students expressed that Lemke deserves to be North Harford’s nomination for HCPS Teacher of the Year.
Junior Hannah Arnold added that she likes how Lemke “sets up the class and makes sure all her students are comfortable.” Arnold also said that the English teacher ensures that all her students “understand what they are doing, and she takes time to make sure [they] are doing and what [each student] should be learning.”
Junior Peyton Baldwin added that Lemke is a “very relatable” teacher that “relates to [her students] and knows what is going on.” Baldwin also expressed she is a “very nice person.”
Sophomore Elizabeth England claimed the Teacher of the Year nominee is a “very down to Earth” person and extremely helpful in class. She added that the teacher has “encouraged her writing skills.” England explains that Lemke should win teacher of the year award because she has “a big impact” on the school and was the reason the sophomore “took honors English” this school year.
“Mrs. Lemke is a teacher who truly cares about [students] inside and outside of the classroom, and is always willing to help no matter the situation,” reports junior Lola Steele. Steele currently is enrolled in one of Lemke’s English classes and thinks she should win the award “because she is a very caring teacher and she allows for many students to succeed in English class.”
