SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. \u2014 In the shadow of school officials planning to close Wakefield Elementary School comes a singular distinction this year with a kindergarten teacher selected to be the district\u2019s 2022 \u201cTeacher of the Year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rebecca Duff, a long-time educator at the school, learned about her selection during a surprise announcement last week when the school\u2019s students and other faculty members were assembled on the school\u2019s lawn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the school on the district\u2019s chopping block, the selection is also a reminder about the quality of education provided in Wakefield Elementary, said several veteran educators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Safety, whether physical, emotional and social as well as sound educational approaches have been her priority, Duff said, noting that she\u2019s sad about the current plan to close this small school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The job of a teacher, said the 46-year-old Duff, is much different today compared to her vision as a teacher-in-training at the University of Rhode Island. Keeping students connected on many more levels is important today, she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf students don\u2019t have a connection to school, to learning, to feeling good, and feel safe and supported, they aren\u2019t going to learn,\u201d said this life-long South County resident who currently lives in South Kingstown and has taught in several district schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Teachers today must always be monitoring the social and emotional issues that children \u2014 especially the young ones \u2014 present each day as a result of matters unrelated to their schooling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Duff has also had that responsibility at the top of her daily list of tasks in the classroom, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Each day her class begins with a joke of the day to bring a laugh and then she does a quick social-emotional check by a showing of children\u2019s hands and fingers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One finger for happy, two for sad, three for silly, four for tired and five for cranky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This helps her, she said, gauge the kind of day ahead and whether any underlying problems exist from home or elsewhere that need more attention than just a check-in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou have to be prepared. You never know what you\u2019re going to have,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Duff said that she goes to school every day with the objective to be connected to her students to help them learn and feel safe in school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Parent Kelley Young nominated Duff. She pointed to Duff\u2019s understanding of individual children and concerns for students\u2019 struggles in class with work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMs. Duff consistently provides a safe and comforting environment for her students where they are allowed to make mistakes, grow and excel,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI have four children, three of whom have had the privilege of being her student \u2014 one currently. For each of my children, she is intimately familiar with their learning styles, including their strengths and weaknesses,\u201d Young said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is truly amazing that her young students make such progress in reading and writing throughout the year. My son arrived to her class with letter and number recognition that was below his grade level, and has thrived under her guidance,\u201d said Young, also an educator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNot only does she have a strong mastery of the kindergarten content, but her pedagogical practices truly support the multiple learning styles of all students,\u201d she wrote to school officials about Duff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Duff\u2019s colleagues also see the selection as a pointed moment for the school and its value to students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The school committee in January voted unanimously \u2014 with one member absent \u2014 to back a reconfiguration plan that would close Curtis Corner Middle School and Wakefield Elementary School within the next two to three years, moving the students in both to other facilities in town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Duff can surely be called a shining example of Wakefield\u2019s potential, said Principal Coleen Smith and former Wakefield Elementary Principal Michelle Little, who both have been mentors to Duff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI am so incredibly proud of her,\u201d said school Principal Smith, adding, \u201cShe is solution-driven and advocates for her students all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She is well versed in early childhood development and the academic and social-emotional needs of all of her students, Smith said, adding that Duff \u201cworks tirelessly to meet each child where they are and provides quality, engaging instruction for their growth and learning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The principal also praised her for collaborating with colleagues on educational strategies, whether they are at her elementary school or other schools within the district.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI am so pleased, but not the least bit surprised that a parent would nominate her for this award. She models what it is to be a lifelong learner and a quality educator and I am grateful to have her as a member of our faculty,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These kinds of comments didn\u2019t surprise Little, also a mentor to Duff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe possesses a wonderful blend of heart and professionalism. She has always had a commitment to understanding and implementing best practices based on current research, especially in the area of reading instruction,\u201d Little said in an interview following the announcement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe uses multi-sensory strategies, making learning fun while especially supporting language-based learning instruction. She has always wanted to keep learning herself and sharpen her skills to benefit children,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On hand to for the announcement in the school yard was new Superintendent Mark Prince.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs adults, far removed from our last day of elementary school, we can still name our favorite elementary teacher. Years from now, these students will look back and remember Ms. Duff,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNot because she taught them A-B-Cs or 1-2-3, but because she challenged and inspired them,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
he said. \u201cShe saw greatness in them before they knew it existed inside of them. Years from now, when they think of her, a smile will come across their faces.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Rebecca Duff, a kindergarten teacher Wakefield Elementary School, talks to her students after being named the \u201cSouth Kingstown Teacher of the Year\u201d during a surprise ceremony last week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4629,"featured_media":13726,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13725","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4629"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13725"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13725\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/education\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}