Teacher Spotlight: Media-Providence Friends School's Nancy Allison

Media Patch is offering a new feature called Teacher Spotlight where we will feature a local teacher who deserves recognization. Teachers give a lot to their students, schools and studies and we'd like to recognize them and say a simple, thank you, for all that they do.

This Media-Providence Friends School humanities teacher was inspired to become a teacher by the turmoil and changes of the 1960s. She had aspirations of changing the world and some would say she already has in her role as a teacher.

Teacher: Nancy Allison

School:

Grade/Subject: Humanities, which is language arts and social studies combined, for sixth and eighth grades and Quakerism for seventh grade.

Years in the Industry: 33 years, 26 years at Media-Providence Friends

Teaching History:

Allison graduated from Sharon Hill High School and Temple University. She has also taught at Sharon Hill and Chichester high schools before moving on to teaching middle school students at Marple Newtown Middle School (which is no longer) and Concord Friends Nursey School prior to arriving at Media-Providence Friends.

What do you like most about your job:

"I have to admit even at this point, I feel an excitement from the kids in the classroom and it keeps me young now," Allison says.

She says she loves teaching middle school because the kids have a foot "in both worlds," the kid world and they are starting to move into a teen world in preparation to being adults.

"It's a really big transitional time and to be able to see the growth (is exciting)," she says.

Why did you become a teacher:

Allison says she was very idealistic about becoming a teacher in the 60s and wanted to make changes through politics and thought by teaching high school seniors about government they would become part of it and make changes.

"I don't know that I've seen a time like the 60s really," she says. "I think just the turmoil of the 60s, I was really inspired."

Allison says she had a 12th grade teacher who taught by writing on the chalkboard and the students would copy her notes and repeat the answers on tests. Allison wanted to teach a different way.

"I swore that I would get her job when I got out of college, and I did," Allison says referencing her first teaching position after college. "I really did want to change the world."

What do you like best about your current school:

Allison says the teachers really get to know the kids and their families on a more intense and deep level and says she works with the most wonderful and dedicated team of teachers.

"(The teachers) work in such a collaborative and supporting way and they have taught me so much," she says. "I also think we really try to work with the whole child not just the academic side."

Allison says Media-Providence Friends want to have kids leave the school and understand that they can impact the world.

"It's one thing to know all this information but if you know it all, you're expected to do something with it and consider the impact of the choices that you make," Allison says.

Check out Allison's video here on the Media-Providence Friends website where she talks more about her love for the school.