Interview with Rhonda Holmes-Blankenship

Rhonda Holmes-Blankenship earned her bachelor's degree in English with secondary education from Towson State University in 1995. Mrs. Holmes-Blankenship is an English teacher in Cecil County, Maryland.

In 2012, she was chosen the Maryland Teacher of the Year. These are her reflections. Mrs. Blankenship, thank you so much for taking the time to come in and share with us your preparation to become a teacher

at Towson University and your subsequent career. This will add a great deal to our understanding of teacher education at Towson across time, and I think a good place to begin is at the beginning.

So would you share with us a little bit about your early social context, where you grew up, what you were thinking about as possible things to do when you had a career of your own? I grew up in Cecil County, Maryland, Elkton, went to

Northeast High School and I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do. I'm from a blue collar family and most of the women in my family either stayed home or did some kind of assembly line work.

So really the only professional people I knew and and spent any kind of time with were my teachers. And I had some wonderful teachers who definitely really had a very positive influence on my life

and helped me especially, you know, there was one point when I was failing most of my classes. And so I think it was just natural for me to to want to be a teacher.

And why did you choose Towson? My grandmother had started at Towson when it was just a teacher's college and she didn't finish. She just married my grandfather. Of course.

So. But again, you know, that was, it felt accessible because there had been some family experience. So.

And almost within driving distance. Exactly. But that was a long trek. It was a long trek, yeah.

Tell us a little bit about your experience here, little bit about the courses you took, especially your education courses. Were they mostly theoretical or very practical and applicable

immediately or maybe perhaps somewhere in between? Definitely a balance. I can remember I had the theoretical courses. There was a course, I think it was called Foundations of

Education. Maybe it was Doctor Proffit. Yes. Does that sound right? And we actually had to research different schools of

thought, different philosophies of education, and then kind of decide as early as, we may not even have had any classroom experience, where we thought we might be in terms of our philosophy of education.

And so, that was helpful for me because I can still remember, I decided that I was progressive when it came to pedagogy, but I was very perennial, I think it's what we called it, when it came to content.

Like I felt like kids should always be exposed to classics and Shakespeare. So, but definitely probably more practical, more courses where what we learned was immediately applicable.

And so I had professors like Doctor Voki and Dr. Neubert, who, when they, we had to write lesson plans and unit plans. And when they evaluated our work, they definitely

read it looking at it through the eyes of a student. And they would see, like, whether or not this design that we had was actually going to work for kids. And we had, I guess, sort of field study experiences.

I went to a a middle school in Baltimore City and observed teachers there for Doctor Voki's class and Doctor Neubert's class. Of course, that led right into student teaching.

So many of the things that I learned in her class were immediately applicable. Rhonda, you have a wonderful story you shared at this spring's College of Education commencement about Doctor Voki.

Is that something that you would share with us about his response to one of, I don't know if it was a lesson plan or what, what it was? It was a unit plan.

And you know, when you're in school and you're learning about all these sort of contemporary trendy strategies. And I can remember, like, the jigsaw, for example, was something that was kind of new.

But anyways, I put together this unit plan and I had this one lesson that was really, really complicated and it had to do with plot, but I thought it was really good. I thought it was the best lesson in the unit plan because I had

made sure that I had all these really new strategies and, you know, sort of, like, jam packed with buzzwords. And when Doctor Voki read the unit plan he, of course, he made comments and he gave it back to us.

And I searched through reading the comments and then I got to that one lesson that I thought was so great. And he had written there, I'd like to see you try to do this lesson, you know, meaning, like, me try to do it as a student,

because it just made no sense and it didn't have any sort of value in terms of student learning. Like, what was the kid really gonna get out of jumping through those hoops?

So that was interesting. And I think at the time I was just sort of insulted, maybe. But then when I became a teacher and I actually hit those walls where I would plan something that had no real value but

looked really good. Something you remembered, obviously. Yes, it's something I think about today, you know, as a teacher, you know, what's the value in this?

What's the outcome? What will students learn? And is this the best way to do it, you know, or does it just have a lot of bells and whistles?

So. OK, tell us a little bit about your student teaching. I student taught at Edgewood Middle School and Edgewood High School, and it was just a growing experience.

You know, I definitely didn't set the world on fire as a student teacher, but I had very patient, caring mentors, Tommy Parsons at Edgewood High School and Carol Grow at Edgewood Middle School.

And what I can remember is that the students really wanted to like me, you know, at first, because I was this young, you know, but when I started having problems, you know, when I started having some discipline problems and I didn't react

with confidence or compassion, you know, then there became some tension. And that's when my cooperating teacher would have to intervene, you know, and again, I came across the whole, you know,

well, what is the value in this? You know, you're teaching this novel, "A Day No Pigs Would Die." You know?

That's... When I was coming through Towson and early in my teaching, I felt like so many of the middle school trade books were about animals that died. So depressing.

So I was teaching this dead animal book. "A Day No Pigs Would Die." And I can just remember my... It was actually Doctor Newbert's husband.

Oh, I can't remember his name offhand. Jim Binko. Yes. And I can remember him just, you know, always,

through the process of inquiry, helping me to arrive at these conclusions, you know, what did you want your students to accomplish or learn through that? And every time I wasn't 100% sure.

So I think that was really, so you're not just covering content. I think a lot of student teachers think, well, I have to cover Julius Caesar.

Yes. Did you like, did you prefer one age level to another? I preferred... I think I preferred the content of high school.

It's just a lot more interesting to teach, you know, Shakespeare versus I think it was maybe Scott Peck. But I liked middle school kids. And I think maybe just because I was not much older than high

school kids myself, that that was a little scary for me, intimidating. A little difficult. So you're at the end of student teaching and you're looking to become a teacher.

Are you feeling fairly confident at that point, do you think? I think what helped me in between student teaching and actual, you know, full time teaching was that I had a long term sub position.

So I had this opportunity to teach full time before I actually was hired on with the district and that was really challenging, but that's where I sort of hammered out some classroom management issues that I was having.

And what did you teach as this long term sub? 6th grade English language arts, 6th grade English language arts. And where did you do that? Havre de Grace middle school.

So I think that's good for a lot of young people to know too that that oftentimes those sub positions, if you present yourself well and you make a good impression, you get to know the faculty, that can roll into a full time position.

And is that what happened with you? Yes. So the next year you were... 6th grade English language arts, Havre de Grace Middle School. And how long did you stay at that grade and at Havre de Grace?

Five years. OK, tell me a little bit about that beginning, as a beginning teacher and what you... You've already suggested that that classroom discipline was an issue.

What worked well for you and what were your areas of concern or difficulty? I think that as far as the classroom management issues that I was having, like, I realized that, you know, I have yet

to have had my own classroom. You know, I always felt like an imposter. I always felt like I was just managing, you know what I mean, as opposed to really creating an environment, you know, and

having this student centered classroom. So being able to start the school year, you know, from day one, this is my classroom, these are my students, and to get to know them and connect with them, that really

made all the difference. Those first five years I was very much into reading and writing workshop. That's another...

I don't know if it was, it might have, I think it was Gloria Neubert, but it was also the young adult lit professor who was here at the time, Lois Stover. Yes, I remember that.

they were Nancy Atwell fans and that was wonderful. I love the readers and writing workshop. In fact, I had one of my 6th graders from years ago who is now in college, Davey Matthews.

He sent me an e-mail and he said that that my 6th grade class was the best writing experience that he had had all through school. He said it was downhill from there, which made me feel sad. But then I thought to myself, you know, with all this,

you know, push for Common Core and expository writing and non fiction text. Like, I have got to find a way to let students have that free expression and that creativity.

I mean, you know, it might not fit into STEM, but it sure as heck fits into being a human being. Absolutely. But you did transfer at some point.

I did, yeah. I had applied to both Harford County and Cecil County right out of Towson and Cecil County never contacted me but it was just an HR kind of... Snafu of some kind.

Yeah. And eventually my resume emerged, you know, and somebody stumbled upon it and so I was called in for an interview and I started teaching high school English at Rising Sun High School because I always knew that I wanted to teach high

school. That was what I envisioned for myself when I was a college student. Those were my favorite English teachers, were my high school

English teachers. So even though I loved Havre de Grace Middle school and I loved 6th graders, you know, I felt like, well, that's what you always wanted.

Well, and that's where you were from. So that was sort of coming home. It was. And what kinds of things and what grades did you teach or are

you teaching now and what kinds of curricula? I teach 10th and 11th grade, and initially 10th grade was world literature, although I want to say "world literature" because the anthology was pretty boring, watered down.

And then 11th grade is American literature. So, but right now everything is changing. We're in transition with the curriculum. And is that because of Common Core?

Yes. So we'll have to see. Are people working on that in the summer to kind of... Yes. I wrote curriculum last summer to align with

the Common Core standards. And we're also trying to make those cross-disciplinary connections using the macro concepts from the next generation science standards.

So whereas before, you know, I might have had a unit called Facing Life's Challenges, right? And so then you have Beowulf and you know what I mean, like, that kind of thing.

Now we have units that are from the next generation science curriculum. So we actually have an English language arts unit in 12th grade called "Systems."

And so we had to write this curriculum trying to, you know, how... So you can talk about Chaucer with systems, you can talk about class systems and so forth. It feels like a stretch.

It feels kind of artificial to me. I can see how it probably works very well at the elementary level, but I'm struggling right now as a teacher too. This will be interesting to see how this plays out.

It will. And I'm just trying to have an open mind and, you know, do what's right for kids. Absolutely.

One of the things that you've pursued that is important to talk about a little bit is that you are National Board certified. And would you share with us what that means and what a teacher

has to do to become National Board certified? National Board certification, just like doctors can earn, you know, certifications to show their expertise. This is an idea, it's an attempt to make the teaching

profession more professional, you know, at that caliber of medicine. And it's basically a process where you sort of take inventory of your practice and you have these

different portfolios that you complete. So for English language arts, I had a portfolio on student writing. I had another portfolio on whole class discussion, another

portfolio on small group discussion. Then there was one on reading non-print text and then finally there was one on professional growth. So I had to compile these portfolios.

And I think that the the most important part of achieving National Board certification, the most critical part of it, is that you have to show clear and consistent evidence of student learning in each of these portfolios.

You know, so, like, you know, for my professional development portfolio, I don't know how helpful it would be for me like, say, if I were going through that process today to say I was Maryland Teacher of the Year.

Because what kind of impact is that having on student learning? Oh, I think you can make the case, but... I could, but I would also have to back it up with student work.

That's the thing. The artifacts were huge. It's not enough to just say it. You had to actually have evidence, whether it be, you

know, work samples, data. So it really, I think, helped me to hone my practice and to, you know, everything that I had learned over the years, it just became tighter and more cohesive and

more grounded in student learning. So I assume you submit these portfolios to the National Board, and do they evaluate each one separately? You have to sort of pass all five.

You do. And there's also an assessment portion of that. So I think it was like 4 hours, 3 or 4 hours that I went to one of these, you know, Pearson centers and just took a test. Sat

and, you know, different... Yeah. A written test? It was on the computer.

But yeah, I mean, parts of it I had to like, write essays. That was, you know, content knowledge, just, you know, knowledge of student learning, cognitive science, all that stuff.

Yeah. My heavens. It was pretty rigorous. Most people don't... Most people don't achieve their first year.

Most people have to, you know, resubmit one of the portfolios or go back to the assessment center. So. Wow, so that is important.

I mean, that's important for your own professional growth and development. Yes. And it probably does translate into student learning. Oh, it definitely does.

It definitely does because every other professional development experience I've had, you know, it's been someone with, you know, a brand or a product that they're pushing or a strategy they've "discovered," you know, and

they want me to do it to validate their careers. This was something that I did to validate my career and my teaching, you know what I mean? And in this way, you know, now I kind of

call the shots, you know what I mean? It's... Everything that I do is grounded in student learning. So if you have this strategy that you want me to try, I

look at my practice and I decide whether or not that's what my students at this time need. So it's just a real shift from the sort of, you know, random pursuit of strategies and workshops and galas.

Speaking of which, at some point your name was submitted, I assume, to be honored as the Cecil County Teacher of the Year. And how did that process work?

Well, my school improvement team nominates someone from our school to be, to represent us, as, you know, the nominee for Cecil County Teacher of the Year. So, I mean, I figured it was a matter of time before my name

came to the surface and, you know, my name came up a couple of years ago, you know, well, this past time, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to go through with it because it's a lot of work, you know, and there were 20 other

nominees in the county. I see. And so you write all these essays... I was going to say, and what does that require you to do?

I mean, you basically put together a, you know, you sort of sell yourself in a way, you know what I mean? You write, I think it was maybe five essays on different topics, maybe not five.

I think it was five for Maryland, for my county. It might have been only three or four, and then you put together a resume. I hadn't done that in ages.

You know, you just, I mean, it was, even if I hadn't gone as far as I did, it still would have been helpful to just sort of take stock professionally is kind of what I did.

Sort of your personal self study. Sort of. Yeah. It gives you an opportunity to just... 'Cause I hadn't thought in

a long time about why I became a teacher. You know what I mean? Like, I hadn't thought about those stories. I hadn't thought about my personal history in a long time.

I was so immersed in my practice and my family. So it was interesting. And I had no idea that my stories would resonate with people.

Clearly they did because you became Maryland Teacher of the Year and that happened last fall? And then there's a rep from each county and I assume a rep from Baltimore City as well. So you were one of 23? 24 people, and when did you learn that

you had won? They announced finalists in August. I see. And how many finalists were there?

Seven. So I was one of seven finalists. And I thought to myself, Oh my. Because here's the thing. I had no idea that this was a program that went to the

national level. I thought I would win Cecil County Teacher of the Year. And, you know. That would be great. That would be wonderful.

And that's why I just thought it was a prize. You know, I didn't know I was, I didn't know it was a service position, you know what I mean? I didn't know that I was applying to be, you know,

this ambassador. So anyways, when I found out that I might be going on to the next level and then that there was a level after that, that there was a national, you know, it was

just all mind blowing, honestly. So, but I was one of seven finalists, and then we were brought in for actual interviews. They choose the finalists from the application packets.

And then they brought us all in for interviews. And who are they? Who makes this decision? Representatives of, you know, like, there was, say, the president of the PTA would be one example, a representative

from the ASCD. Or is it ACSD? Sorry, I can't... You were right. OK, just different organizations that... And how many people do you think were involved in that process? The interview.

I was probably interviewed by I would say in between 10 and 12 people. Oh, my heavens. And this was one interview though, and they were all there.

OK, so this happens and then do you know before the event? No, it's really intense. So there is this enormous event and it's in October? Yes, October 5th. And tell us about that.

Oh, it was just, it was incredible. I mean, you know, my husband and I, none of our cars were reliable. They were all of our, you know, we have two cars.

They were both on their last legs, their last wheels. And so my husband rented a car for us to go down to Martin's West because like the worst thing in the world would be to break down on the on the way to the Maryland Teacher of the

Year Gala. And then we go. And of course you wear a full length ball gown and and then that night, you know, Doctor Lowery, it was her first

time to participate in this event as our new Superintendent. Yes. And I can remember, they showed the videos because we all went to MPT and had, like, these little videos made,

and mine was the worst one. And I'm being totally objective. Mine was the worst one. I've gotten much better with cameras, but... And I thought to

myself, there's no way I'm winning. There is no way. So you're... Are you seeing that for the first time too that night? Yes. With my saucer eyes.

And I was like, oh, look at me, I'm so sad. You know, everybody feels bad for me. And then so they showed all the videos and then they showed the finalist videos last.

And so then there was my video and of course, I'm all down on myself. And then Dr. Lowry made the announcement.

And when she made the announcement, she looked right at my table. And so I don't know if that was just a coincidence or if she intentionally found out, if she knew, I don't know.

But she looked right at my table and it was just wonderful. And one of the, well, there were so many wonderful things about it. But my high school mentor was there, Jan Fraser.

She was a key figure in my life growing up. And then I won a new car. So here we had rented this car to come down and I won a car that night.

Great, what kind of car did you win? It was a Ford, and initially they, it was like a Ford Focus. But the nice, you can upgrade, you know, with your own if you're willing to contribute.

And I needed to 'cause I have three kids. So that worked out well for you then? Well, this is all wonderful and I'm sure it was a wonderful ending to the evening.

But what did this mean in terms of what you got yourself into? Tell us a little bit about your reign, if you will, as Teacher of the Year since October. What kinds of responsibilities?

Again, you know what I mean, I had no idea what I was getting myself into and I felt bad for winning, honestly, you know what I mean? I mean, I was very excited.

Why bad? What about it was... Because these other people who were finalists were so incredible, you know, and as exhilarating as that moment was for me,

I know it had to be completely, you know, so there was that aspect of it. And then we're all together the next morning at this meeting, you know, and I can remember Doctor Darla Strauss, who's the

coordinator of the Maryland Teacher of the Year program, kind of pulling me aside and letting me know, you know, what was... 'Cause I had never done public speaking before either, you know what I mean?

Honestly, this reminded me of, you know, when I was in high school and I went out for the cheerleading squad and I could never do a split, but once a year for tryouts, I would force myself down into a split, you know what I mean?

That's what public speaking has felt like, you know what I mean? Like I'll do it just this one time and then it'll be over. Except it never was, you know what I mean? It kept...

And what did she, how did she advise you? She said, you know, you're going to have your first public speaking engagement in two weeks. It's going to be at the MSEA conference in Ocean City.

You know, it's going to be packed house, you know, one of your larger audiences, and she said, and you need to sort of get yourself together because you look terrified. And you felt terrified. She said very, very nicely.

But I had no idea. Very calm. I had no idea that I was so transparent. So, and you did. I did great. So that was the first event.

And what other kinds of things have you done since then as Maryland Teacher of the Year? You know, I'm invited to speak at different events. You know, sometimes it'll be, like, retired teachers, you know,

one of their dinners or luncheons. Sometimes it'll be teacher candidates or graduates. Sometimes it will be, like, a collaboration between businesses and schools and one of those type events and I'll go

and I'll... But whatever I'm doing, you know, I just look at, you know, what is the event, who is my audience? And how can I tailor my message and my experience to sort of meet their needs and give them insight as to what public

education is really about and what's really happening? And did you have some assistance? I mean, was Darla Strauss at any of these events with you or giving you... Did anybody give you some idea of the nature or the

size of the audience you were going to be dealing with? I relied very much on Joshua Parker, who was the 2012 Maryland Teacher of the Year, and Michelle Shear, who was 2011 and then 2012 National Teacher of the Year.

So they were mentors for me, you know, and I walked into every situation feeling, you know, informed. Well, we are delighted because the Maryland Teacher of the Year does now participate in both the January commencement in the

sense that she or he comes to the reception the night before and often says something to the teacher education candidates and graduates from other education programs. And then, of course, is a major speaker at our spring College of

Education commencement. This is something that we initiated a few years ago and has been very meaningful to those teacher candidates. We get wonderful feedback as we did this May from your remarks

to them that it's nice to hear from somebody who's doing it, who's one of us. And I think that you need to know that that was very important and meaningful to them to have somebody who has won

this award, is Maryland's best teacher, so to speak, talking about the profession. It's a nice introduction to their career. That's something I think that we need to let you know, give you

some feedback on that, that that works well. And your speech this time was very meaningful to them. I'm glad and I'm very grateful to Towson for involving the Maryland Teacher of the Year that way because I think

that that's just an ideal commitment for the Maryland Teacher of the Year. Well, and of course, this year it was especially nice because the Maryland Teacher of the Year is an alum of a Towson Teacher

Ed program. And that, of course, makes it very special. One of the things I would like to ask you, actually, the last thing I would ask you is what kinds of advice, what wisdom

would you share with anybody who is considering teaching as a career? Well, you know, I've been a mentor teacher to a number of students from the University of Delaware, because

that's the college that's closest to us in Cecil County. And just in working with those teacher candidates, I think that it's really important that your first year that you find a mentor and that you kind of consider your

first few years, you know, as you're still just, you're still just learning. It's really important to to find those teachers on the faculty who are really invested in the community, who are really

invested in their own professional growth, and to allow them to work with you, invite them into your classrooms, ask if you can go in and watch them. If possible, plan together.

It's just, those relationships are so critical because this really is a profession that you grow into. You know, I also, I think, need to say that if you remember your favorite teacher, she made it look so much easier than it

really is. You know, however much you enjoyed that class, it's kind of like, you know, the work that that that teacher does outside of the class is proportional to what you got out

of that class, you know, and, you know, especially if you were doing more than he or she was that involved so much planning. So I, you know, I think a lot of young people maybe don't realize how much work it is and that, you know, in student

teaching that, you know, you finish student teaching and, oh, we survived and that was so much work. But it really is, I mean, I think teaching is one of the toughest jobs, you know, 'cause I can remember people saying to

me, oh, isn't that wonderful? How nice. It's such a family friendly job. You know, my husband and my children would not agree with

that. You know, I'm the mom with the stack of papers at the Little League game, but I have so much fun as a teacher, you know, the autonomy that you have, you

know, hopefully, the creativity you're able to exercise. And then over time, the legacy that that you establish in a community, you know, and your students come back and you see

how well they're doing and you know, you are doing something that absolutely is contributing to our society. So is it a career you would recommend? Yes.

Anything else that we've forgotten to talk about, about your preparation or your career that you want to share? You know, I think I just maybe want to speak to the students who are commuters, you know, because it's not a traditional

college experience. And I think that my generation is maybe the first generation where so many of us went to college, right, versus my parents.

And before that. And yet few of us had that traditional college experience that you see in the movies, right, 'cause it's pretty darn expensive.

So for me, I was able to live on campus for a semester, you know, before I completely depleted my resources and had borrowed up to here, you know, and then I was like, I have to move home. I have to commute.

But I have really good memories of that experience. You know, you don't have to feel like you're missing out on something. I carpooled with four other people from from Cecil County.

We had a great time. We had great discussions. There was an English lounge at the time in Linthicum Hall where the, you know, English majors would all congregate and have

really pretentious conversations. And, you know, so you can carve out your own niche, you know, and, and you know, no matter your resources or how much work it's taking you to get here, you know, it's

your experience and it's valuable because of that. And if you have to work hard for it, then that makes it all the more valuable. Exactly.

Thank you very much for sharing this, all of this, with us. You're welcome.