Colette Fraley, 48, teaches social studies at Arlington’s Wakefield High School. On Tuesday night, the copy editor-turned-educator was honored as Arlington Public Schools’ teacher of the year.
Any advice for parents worried about what to do with their high schoolers all summer?
Encourage them to put down their phones and pick up a book — to spend some time during the day reading, and to think about what they’re reading. Kids who read, and read for pleasure, tend to do better in school. So hide their phone for a day or two.
What about advice for people thinking of a midcareer switch to teaching?
Well, if you go into it thinking that it’s summers off and getting home by 4 o’clock, that’s not right. But otherwise, it’s a great switch — it’s having a chance to be involved in a kid’s future. You can see on a kid’s face when they understand something, and that’s a great feeling. You don’t get that in a whole lot of careers. And most of the time, kids are great — even when they’re ornery, they’re great.
What’s your best trick for engaging the toughest students?
It helps if you can make some kind of personal connection, and make sure they understand that you care about them as well as their academic achievement. I try to treat every kid differently, while conveying that I’m interested in each one as a person, not just as a student.
What’s been one of your most memorable lessons this year?
Right now, they’re turning in their Peeps projects — take a scene from U.S. history, and recreate it using Peeps candies. Then they have to write why it’s significant in 50 words or less. So far, I have a transcontinental Peeps-road, and the Apollo moon mission complete with twinkling lights, and Peep Wars — based on “Star Wars.” I can’t wait to read how that student justifies its significance in history. – Leah Fabel
