Brookside Educator Of The Year: Home-grown Success Story
When Rosemary Scholz of Middletown was selected as Educator of the Year 2015-2016 at Brookside Place School (BPS) in Cranford, it was a little like a homecoming celebration. That’s because even though Scholz, formerly of Cranford, has been teaching at BPS for 14 years, she is teaching 5th grade in the same classroom where she attended as a 5th grader several years ago.
“I attended Brookside Place School as a child. In college, I was assigned to BPS as a student teacher, and I was excited to be assigned to the same 5th grade classroom where I was once a student. It was surreal – I even found my 5th grade dictionary where I wrote my name inside the front cover,” said Mrs. Scholz. “It’s great to give back. Brookside is my home.” Mrs. Scholz was nominated for BPS Educator of the Year by (parents and fellow teachers). A graduate of Seton Hall University, Mrs. Scholz brings her love of Brookside with her right into the classroom.
“Each day, my goal is to give each child the best day you can. I make a concerted effort to talk to every student multiple times per day, and in different ways, as a teacher, counselor, facilitator, and advisor,” she noted. “I’m fortunate to be given the flexibility to change the way my classroom operates. We use lots of movement, including yoga balls, bikes under the students’ desks and drafting tables. Every day is something new.”
“The nominations truly described the impact each nominee continues to make each and every day,” praised Michael Klimko, Principal of BPS, adding that all of those in district recipients are recognized at a future Board of Education meeting.
All district Educators of the Year may move on to be recognized at the State level. All nominees were highlighted for their ability to provide a unique experience to students in the classroom. Encouraging children to share their thoughts is also a strategy that Mrs. Scholz employs for student success.
“All children should have a voice and a choice in their education,” she noted. “With new subject matter, my students and I discuss together how we can approach the new subject and my students openly share their opinions.”
One of my current students had an interest in the barrel-eyed fish. She encouraged the student to go online to learn more about the fish, and later assisted the 5th grader into reaching out to an ichthyologist on a ship in the Pacific Ocean. She concluded, “We work to set that bar high, and these students will reach for it – it’s magical.”
(above, r-l) Brookside Place School principal Michael Klimko congratulates fifth grade teacher, Rosemary Scholz of Middletown, on being named BPS’ Educator of the Year 2015-2016. Scholz teaches in the same classroom she once sat in as a student.
