The Maryland State Board of Education on April 21 recognized six teacher candidates from Mount St. Mary’s University as Maryland Teachers of Promise at an all-day event at Martin’s West in Baltimore, Maryland.
Mount candidates who were recognized were Liam Bergin, C’23, Sarah Johnson, C’23, Carolina Marin, C’23, Braeden McHugh, C’23, Jenna Strawsburg, C’23, and Madelyn Southern, C’22 (December). Stacey Brown-Hobbs, Ph.D., director of teacher education, accompanied the group.
“This year’s Mount candidates identified as Teachers of Promise have demonstrated the knowledge, skills and dispositions of the teaching profession that exceed the expectations of a typical preservice teacher. These candidates serve as role models for our future teacher interns,” said Brown-Hobbs.
Maryland Teachers of Promise honors teacher candidates for their exceptional academic records and pre-service teaching abilities. Each teacher candidate is assigned a mentor who is an award-winning veteran teacher and who will provide support to the candidate during the transition from university student to classroom teacher.
McHugh, a native of Pennsauken, New Jersey, and a future math teacher, shared the impact of this recognition, noting that “this award has given me a sense of confidence in my ability to teach and gives me a sense of hope in the future of teaching.”
During the all-day event, participants heard from panels consisting of first-year teachers and award-winning veteran teachers. Berol Dewdney, 2023 Maryland Teacher of the Year, spoke to participants about the unstoppable power of Maryland’s students.
The all-day event provided potential new teachers with advice as well as support for becoming a professional classroom teacher. Speakers from Environmental Education discussed the connection of our watershed roots and how the Chesapeake Bay Foundation uses the environment to inspire community connections in the classroom.
Johnson, a native of Breinigsville, Pennsylvania, is majoring in elementary education and hopes to go into environmental education after graduating. “Receiving this award has been such an honor; it has connected me with other passionate educators and improved my own confidence entering the teaching field, in that my passion and dedication were recognized by my mentors and professors,” she shared.
“I have dreamed of becoming a teacher for as long as I can remember. Receiving this award shows me that I truly can be as great of a teacher as I have always wanted to be, and I can thank the Mount for helping make my dream a reality,” exclaimed Southern, who plans to teach elementary education in Howard County Public Schools.