Teacher of the Week
Martha Swindler
English Teacher, Yearbook Teacher, Challenge Day Coordinator, Barnstable High School
Find out what's happening in Barnstable-Hyannisfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
On Challenge Days at BHS: “Recently, we had four Challenge Days at BHS for the class of 2015. This is our ninth year working with the Challenge Day organization. This was a career high accomplishment, because these seminars are all about ending oppression and learning to lift each other up. They learn we are more similar than we are different. The students practice positive, honest, and direct face to face communication.
“It is this same kind of communication that has helped me become the teacher I am today. I feel you have to see the whole student. I try to connect with them any way I can. I encourage them, and their effective skill sets, to succeed. Even just a High Five from a random teacher on Friday morning can get them enthusiastic for the academic day ahead.”
Find out what's happening in Barnstable-Hyannisfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
On Teaching at BHS: “In all my years teaching, everything from Alternative Learning Program to Shakespeare and now the yearbook class, I see a need for young people to be able to communicate, face-to-face, and feel like they belong. Then, they rise to higher levels of thinking. Barnstable has always been a place that encourages. The staff is an amazing team; I wouldn't teach anywhere else!”
On Her Personal Challenges: “As a cancer survivor, I walked the Jimmy Fund Walk marathon, all 26.2 miles, in September.”
