Baltimore County's John Billingslea a finalist for Maryland Teacher of the Year
TOWSON, MD. - Baltimore County's 2008-09 Teacher of the Year, John Billingslea of Franklin High School in Reisterstown, has been chosen one of eight finalists for the Maryland Teacher of the Year honor to be announced in October.
Billingslea, an Advanced Placement social studies teacher at Franklin, was chosen Baltimore County's Teacher of the Year in May. He will interview before a state panel next month for the state position.
"This latest honor demonstrates not only the quality of instruction and professionalism that John brings to his classroom every day, but also the quality of educators that serve our children throughout both Baltimore County and across the state," said Superintendent Dr. Joe A. Hairston. "He is richly deserving of this recognition, and we are proud to have him represent our teachers as he moves forward in the Teacher of the Year selection process."
Billingslea, 40, is a 17-year teacher who has taught at Franklin for the past 11 years. There, he teaches 11th and 12th grade students AP psychology and philosophy and has taught grade 9 government. He taught from 1994 to 1997 at Randallstown High School.
At Franklin High School, Billingslea has helped to build a psychology program from having 16 AP psychology students 11 years ago into one with 130 students today. His principal, Kathleen Schmidt, credits him with helping the school qualify for its placement among Newsweek's list of top high schools in the nation. His students alone account for 27 percent of the AP exams administered at Franklin High and, consistently, more than 80 percent of his students pass those rigorous exams.
According to Ciarra Watkins, one of Billingslea's AP psychology students, "If the teacher of the year is a person who initiates personal relationships with students, introduces out-of-the-ordinary teaching methods, and encourages students to succeed, then Mr. Billingslea is an incredible fit for that honor."
Billingslea also taught in Oregon and Montana in the early 1990s, and has earned a number of regional and national honors and recognitions, including the College Board AP Teacher of the Year in 2005, the Society for the Teaching of Psychology Teacher of the Year in 2001, and a Target Teacher of the Year semi-finalist designation in 2003.
Announced Tuesday by Maryland State Schools Superintendent Dr. Nancy S. Grasmick, the eight finalists for the prestigious Teacher of the Year award were selected from among local teachers of the year in each of the state's 24 counties and Baltimore City. The state Teacher of the Year will be announced during a gala awards banquet on October 3 at Martins West in Woodlawn.
"This year's finalists demonstrate unwavering enthusiasm to teaching and determination in improving the achievement of Maryland's children," Dr. Grasmick said in a statement. "They unequivocally deserve our recognition as well as our respect."
The finalists were selected by a panel of judges from key Maryland education organizations representing principals, teachers, school boards, teacher unions, students, parents and higher education. Finalists were measured against a rigorous set of national criteria that include teaching philosophy, community involvement, knowledge of general education issues, and suggestions for professional and instructional improvement.
Click
on the "News" button on the left side of this
page to return to the News Archive.
