'My Gym is Full of Cheers and Praise'

Deborah Marcus pushed Ambria Johnson's wheelchair to the specially designed apparatus created to help special-needs students at play bocce Tuesday. She helped Ambria, a student in the intermediate seniors program, position the ball on the ramp and watched her roll it.

"Excellent. Great job," Marcus told Ambria as the girl smiled slightly after her accomplishment.

For Marcus, a physical education teacher at the school for students ages 3 to 21 with cognitive and physical disabilities, every day is full of celebrating students' accomplishments.

And now, the school is celebrating her.

Marcus was one of five county teachers—and the only one from a Glen Burnie school—to be named as a finalist for the Teacher of the Year award, presented by the county schools system and the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce.

She and the other finalists—Laura Groo of Southern Middle School, Courtney Hoffberger of Arundel High School, Danny Imwold of Northeast High School and Jennifer Schnepp of Piney Orchard Elementary School—will be honored at the at the BWI Marriott Hotel in Linthicum.

But the recognition already has started. Superintendent Kevin M. Maxwell, officials from the Board of Education and the chamber descended on the school Monday with flowers and accolades. A banner congratulating her hangs outside Principal Ric Chesek's office.

"I was totally surprised because the superintendent came," Marcus said, adding she was teaching 3-year-olds in the school's Early Childhood Intervention program at the time. "It was overwhelming for me, let alone these 3-year-olds."

While the students have a range of disabilities, they're still children just the same, Marcus said and remembering that makes her job easier.

"These kids can look intimidating, but once you get past that, these are kids. Whether they're in a wheelchair or have a cognitive disability, they want to play," she said.

Seeing students do something like rolling a ball down a ramp may seem small to some, but the students frequently get excited at their accomplishments. And that's one of the best parts of teaching, Marcus said.

"For us, it could be a small thing—a student could move his wrist to push a ball," she said. "My gym is full of cheers and praise for the things we see."

Marcus also enjoys teaching such a large range of ages because that offers the chance to do something different frequently. While Marcus teaches the same concepts teachers of able-bodied students do, she adapts them for her students.

That means getting an apparatus of PVC pipes so wheelchair-bound students can play bocce, or holding an annual bike- and trike-a-thon for the past eight years that has raised $7,000 for St. Jude's Children's Hospital, or occasionally alternating teaching time with the physical teacher at the adjacent so students from each school can interact.

"It's been awesome because the kids over there learn empathy and not to be afraid of them," she said, referring to her students. "Our students are very excited. They look forward to it because they have friends over there. It prepares our students for when they go on to a different school or graduate."

Marcus has spent her entire 11-year career at Marley Glen. She found her calling by accident, she said, when she took an adaptive physical education class at Towson University as part of her training to be an athletic trainer.

That class involved working with students at Marley Glen, and she learned she loved working with special-needs children. Her position opened when her predecessor moved to Broadneck High School.

Marcus' willingness to collaborate and consult with colleagues is what makes her so deserving of the county recognition, several at the school said. The school's occupational and physical therapists call themselves "The Deb Marcus Fan Club," and many were eager to praise her accomplishments, saying she is too modest to mention them.

"We were so excited when we heard she was nominated. It's easy to overlook her position because they're aren't many of them," said occupational therapist Jodie Newman. "She has to know everything about everything to do her job."

And even though knowing everything about everything is probably not realistic, when Marcus doesn't know something, she asks a colleague because she cares about helping the students succeed, said physical therapist Renee Strother.

And Marcus' teaching extends beyond physical education, Chesek said.

"Obviously, she has an outstanding rapport with her students," he said. "It's not just P.E. She ties her class into what goes on in the other classes. She teaches turn taking, constructive criticism. All these things come into play."

For Marcus, seeing the caliber of the other finalists' backgrounds is a little intimidating. Two are nationally certified teachers, a designation she is working toward. And at the same time, she is praising her colleague, Carol Carter, a media assistant, who was named the school system's employee of the month.

"We have a lot to celebrate here at Marley Glen," Marcus said.