{"id":706,"date":"2015-10-09T21:37:24","date_gmt":"2015-10-10T01:37:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/msde\/?p=706"},"modified":"2017-10-27T20:04:58","modified_gmt":"2017-10-28T00:04:58","slug":"10_09_2015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/msde\/10_09_2015\/","title":{"rendered":"Ryan Kaiser Named 2015-2016 Maryland Teacher Of The Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

Statewide Winner Is From Baltimore City<\/em><\/h3>\n

For Immediate Release<\/p>\n

Contact: Dr. Darla Strouse, 410-767-0369<\/p>\n

Baltimore, MD<\/p>\n

\"Ryan<\/a>

Ryan Kaiser 2015-2016 Maryland Teacher Of The Year<\/p><\/div>\n

Ryan Kaiser, a sixth- and eighth-grade social studies teacher at The Mount Washington School in Baltimore City, tonight was named the 2015-16 Maryland Teacher of the Year.<\/p>\n

Interim State Superintendent of Schools Jack R. Smith made the announcement during a 25th Anniversary Teacher of the Year Gala in a ballroom filled with educators and dignitaries.\u00a0 Among those in attendance were U.S. Representatives Donna Edwards, Steny Hoyer, John Sarbanes, and Chris Van Hollen; Comptroller Peter Franchot; and Keiffer Mitchell, special advisor to Governor Larry Hogan.<\/p>\n

Kaiser said that by connecting students to the subject matter, deeper understanding emerges.\u00a0 \u201cI believe that it is my task as an educator to develop experiences that will allow students to see the world that surrounds them through a critical lens,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cEven though my title is \u2018social studies\u2019 teacher, I believe that my job — and the job of every teacher — is to help students make the connections that already exist between our various content areas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Governor Larry Hogan and Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford congratulated Maryland\u2019s newest Teacher of the Year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe success of our schools is built on the work of our teachers, and the efforts of Ryan Kaiser provide a shining example of what teachers can do to strengthen student learning and ensure their future success,\u201d said Governor Hogan.\u00a0 \u201cI congratulate Ryan, and celebrate his achievements along with those of all our State\u2019s educators.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lt. Governor Rutherford said that Ryan\u2019s importance goes beyond the walls of The Mount Washington School.\u00a0 \u201cRyan is truly a pillar of the Baltimore City community, where he works on projects with social studies colleagues in other schools, and coordinates a program with the Patterson Park Public Charter School,\u201d said Lt. Governor Rutherford.\u00a0 \u201cHundreds of students and teachers throughout Baltimore City have benefited from his immense talents as an educator and mentor, and we congratulate him on this well-deserved honor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Smith said the new Maryland Teacher of the Year has special talents.\u00a0 \u201cRyan is a classroom teacher, first and foremost, and his work with his students crackles with energy and creativity,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cHe has always kept his eyes on preparing his students for the rigors of high school and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n

An education graduate from the University of Nebraska, Kaiser also received a master\u2019s in elementary administration from the university.\u00a0 He has been a teacher for 16 years, the last 10 in Baltimore.\u00a0 Kaiser serves at the school\u2019s coach for the Baltimore Urban Debate League, is a mentor teacher, and is a member of The Mount Washington School Parent Teacher Organization.<\/p>\n

Outside the classroom, Kaiser serves as the communications coordinator for the Maryland Council of Social Studies and writes curriculum and lesson plans for teachers nationwide for the White House Visitor\u2019s Center.<\/p>\n

Kaiser comes from a family of teachers; his grandmother taught elementary school and both of his parents were teachers and educational administrators.\u00a0 He fell in love with history as a child, and said it was \u201calmost a given\u201d that he\u2019d become a teacher and provide his students with the type of experiential learning that makes a lasting connection.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a teacher, I am guided by the Chinese proverb, \u2018I forget what I hear, I remember what I see, I understand what I do,\u2019\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cThe more I learn about teaching, the more I know this proverb to be true.\u00a0 We have to create these essential learning opportunities for students everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

Selecting Kaiser for the award was not easy for the judges.\u00a0 The other outstanding finalists were: Dr. Stephanie Marchbank, Allegany County<\/em><\/strong>; Jennie Merrill, Anne Arundel County<\/em><\/strong>; Amanda Porter, Frederick County<\/em><\/strong>; Stephanie Geddie, Howard County<\/em><\/strong>; Barbara Sutherland, Queen Anne\u2019s County<\/em><\/strong>; and Sally Irwin, Washington County<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Kaiser will receive cash awards, technology equipment, national travel opportunities, and a new car valued at more than $25,000, donated by the Maryland Automobile Dealers Association. Kaiser\u2019s school will receive $10,000 from the McDonald\u2019s Family of Maryland.<\/p>\n

The State winner will also spend the coming year as a speaker and advisor in Maryland. He will be honored by the President at the White House next spring, as well as participate in several national meetings and conferences.<\/p>\n

The Maryland Teacher of the Year goes on to compete for the esteemed National Teacher of the Year Award, to be announced next April. Maryland has had a history of national success with its Teacher of the Year Program. Three Maryland teachers have received the National Teacher of the Year award since 2006.<\/p>\n

Presenting sponsors of the Maryland Teacher of the Year Program are Comcast, the Maryland Automobile Dealers Association, McDonald\u2019s Family of Maryland, and Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems. Platinum sponsors are BGE, Lockheed Martin, Maryland Public Television, NTA Life and Whiting-Turner Contracting Company.<\/p>\n

Photo link: Ryan Kaisern 2015-2016 Maryland Teacher Of The Year<\/a><\/p>\n

Maryland Teacher of the Year is a program of the Maryland State Department of Education with major underwriting provided by corporations and other organizations. The program is an affiliate of the National Teacher of the Year Program.<\/em>\u00a0 All Maryland local school systems participate, and all 24 semi-finalists are engaged throughout their selection year in learning and recognition programs and also as advisors to the State Superintendent. Selection of the Maryland Teacher of the Year is made by a Blue Ribbon Panel of Judges that represents teachers, administrators, parents, and higher education. The Maryland Teacher of the Year goes on to represent teachers throughout Maryland and also competes for the title of National Teacher of the Year. Each year, the Maryland Teacher of the Year is named at a Teacher of the Year Gala. The year 2015 marks the 25th anniversary of Maryland\u2019s Teacher of the Year Gala. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Statewide Winner Is From Baltimore City
\nFor Immediate Release
\nContact: Dr. Darla Strouse, 410-767-0369
\nBaltimore, MD
\n<\/a>Ryan Kaiser 2015-2016 Maryland Teacher Of The Year
\nRyan Kaiser, a sixth- and   …Learn more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":6086,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,5,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-706","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-announcements","category-news","category-newsreleases"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/msde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/706","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/msde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/msde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/msde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/56"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/msde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=706"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/msde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/706\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6087,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/msde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/706\/revisions\/6087"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/msde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6086"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/msde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=706"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/msde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=706"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/msde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=706"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}