Katie Brown ’09, SPU alumna and Washington State Teacher of the Year for 2014, delivered the keynote address last June to graduates of the Master of Arts in Teaching and Alternative Routes to Certification programs.
Katie has been teaching at Shuksan Middle School for the past 12 years in her current role as ELL Specialist, and earned her Master of Education degree here at SPU. She has successfully implemented a series of ELL family outreach nights, focused on building community ― even across several different languages.
In addition, Katie holds what she terms a “hybrid” position in her school, combining teaching students and mentoring peers. She discussed the need to “tilt the ladder that leads from teacher to administrator and add some extra rungs,” preventing the need for great teachers to completely leave their roles in the classroom to pursue leadership opportunities. For more, see Katie’s blog, mycoachkatie.com.
Her keynote address emphasized the importance of striving for excellence each day by adopting an attitude of leadership, enthusiasm, and collaboration. Katie strongly advocates for creating an atmosphere of “high expectations with high affection,” the motto at Shuksan Middle School, and encourages teachers to let their students drive their instruction.
She continues to influence policymakers and educators across the state and nation, most recently discussing school reform with Bill Gates.