Celebrating Super Teachers—Stephanie Datiz

Stephanie Datiz—A multilingual communicator who can deliver engaging lessons and manage rambunctious 1st graders in a single bound.

Special Power: Rutgers Alternate Route Teacher Training Program.  Stephanie says the program has supported her immensely in improving her teaching practice and keeping up with the latest education trends and research.

Heroic Motivation: Stephanie finds the smiles of young children to be contagious. Their eagerness to learn inspires her to keep teaching:

“The overarching reason I decided to continue teaching is my passion for working with children. There are not many careers in which an individual can have such an impact in another person’s life and provide others the tools to succeed in life. Another reason is not every day is like the previous. Content is taught through various means and students contribute different ideas and stories to add value to instruction.”

Most Memorable Moment: “On a dreary winter morning, I arrived early to prepare for the day as I usually do. After breakfast, students began to stop by my classroom early to say “Good Morning!” I noticed they began to put their belongings away, take out their supplies, and began to sit down at their desks. When I told them that it was still early, they stated that they wanted to stay and start working on their assignment.”

Advice for future superteachers: “Hang in there! The first year can be overwhelming as you’re learning the responsibilities and duties of being a teacher. Apart from the long hours, experiencing aha moments with students, watching them explore their world and develop academically, physically, and emotionally make it all worthwhile.”

Share your story of a teacher who’s been  “superheroic” in your life.