GREENVILLE – Elizabeth Shields, a math teacher at Greenville High School, was named the Greenville Kiwanis Teacher of the Year for the 2017-18 school year during a presentation Wednesday afternoon.
“I think it’s really awesome,” Shields said. “I think it’s really awesome of my staff members and students to vote for me. They’re really cool, really fun to work with all of them so it was really exciting.”
Greenville High School students and staff were able to nominate teachers for the teacher of the year award. Teachers and other staff members then voted on the nominees and chose Shields for the award.
Greenville High School Principal Stan Hughes said the staff made the right choice.
“She’s clearly my pick just based on the results that she gets in the classroom and beyond just results,” Hughes said of Shields, who is in her fourth year of teaching. “Something that we emphasize is building relationships with kids, and Miss Shields is able to do that. She puts such a great emphasize on building relationships with kids. Her repertoire with students is as good as anyone’s. She’s a great asset to the school, and we’re lucky to have her.”
Shields received four nominations for the teacher of the year and was praised for relationships with students. “She has an in-depth understanding of her content,” one nomination stated. “She has a tremendous repertoire with her students. She gives her time to tutor and as a class adviser and always finds the positives.”
She also garnered praise for going above and beyond her duties. One nomination stated “Miss Shields is always going above and beyond her normal duties. She has a way with teaching that makes it easy for her students to learn. She is very pleasant when dealing with other staff members also. She rarely misses school and is always looking for ways to better herself.” Another read “Beth is always going above and beyond for her students and coworkers. She’s an amazing teacher, and her students respect her.”
Shields also received praise for the success for students have on tests. “Her EOC math results are wonderful,” a nomination stated. “We need more teachers like her.”
Shields teaches formal geometry, Advanced Placement calculus, trigonometry and automotive math. She also previously taught algebra.
All geometry students are required to take state administered tests. Across Ohio, about 60 percent of the students pass the tests, Hughes said, and in Greenville fewer than 60 percent pass. But Shields’ students pass 80 percent of the time.
“You’re not going to find that in even like your really high academic schools – your Oakwoods and Indian Hills and those kind of schools – they don’t even average 80 percent a lot of times,” Hughes said. “So to get that in our school, in our district, out of a teacher is really, truly an amazing thing.”
Shields’ favorite part of being a teacher is working with the students, she said.
“The students are awesome,” she said. “I have a lot of fun with them. I like to learn so I like to be in the class with them and learning. The kids are awesome.”
