Today on Beyond My Years, host Ana Torres learns from the best, sitting down with 2024’s National Teacher of the Year, Missy Testerman. Missy talks about always being open to new ideas and perspectives, offers tips on building relationships with families, and discusses the importance of slowing down. She also shares the story of being the “bossy” kid in the classroom, because she wanted to help her classmates learn.Today, she feels that being a dedicated teacher means advocating for her students, because she believes that showing up means creating a vital safe place. Missy does not shy away from tough topics, such as knowing when it’s time to step away from teaching, and managing the “who knows best” struggle between administrators and teachers, parents and teachers, etc. Taking all those lessons back to the classroom, Ana and her Classroom Insider Eric Cross discuss understanding your community, being more flexible and present in your lessons, and seeking mentorship and continuous growth.

Show notes:

• Submit your story about a seasoned educator who affected your life, and be entered to win exclusive Beyond My Years swag!
• Connect with Missy Testerman:
  • Instagram: @missytesterman2024ntoy
  • LinkedIn: @missy-testerman
  • X: @missytesterman
• Subscribe to Beyond My Years https://amplify.com/beyond-my-years
• Follow us on Instagram @amplify.education
• Connect with Eric Cross https://www.ericcross.org/
• Connect with Ana Torres https://www.linkedin.com/in/anayansi-ana-torres-m-ed-26a10654/

Quotes:
“The reality is that the journey toward wisdom in any career, especially in education, has to be slow and steady.” –Missy Testerman

“I want them to be proud of where they came from, always, because that's part of their story. It's always going to be an important part of their story.” –Missy Testerman

“I had a mentor who said, ‘Sometimes you have to slow down teaching to speed up learning.’ Slowing down, allowing those spontaneous moments to happen, allowing it to interrupt your plan, and then going there and diving into that, because you got the engagement. You have these natural phenomena. You have this natural curiosity. And that's true learning. And that's what's memorable.” –Missy Testerman