Episode 92: Ernie Lee - 2016 Georgia Teacher of the Year

Ernie is the 2016Georgia Teacher of the Year.

He is a history, civics, and government teacher at WindsorForest High School in Savannah, Georgia.

When Ernie turned 50 he left his world of law to become a public school teacher.

He always knew he would become a teacher but only after being a lawyer. Throughout his previous career, he kept thinking, “What have I done to make a difference in my community?”

This thought helped to push him make the change.

Ernie is fun to talk with and you will hear his energy and focus on kids, immediately.

One of the areas we talk about before we get into teaching is his experiences from substituting and its impact on his classroom mannerisms.

Listen for him to also mention the importance of building relationships with the kids.

One of Ernie’s strategies for connecting with the kids is standing at the door, greeting the kids with a smile and practicing active listening. (He explains this.)

Ernie describes the importance of learning and using the kids’ names.

We get into his favorite teaching strategies, how he hooks them into the lessons, and how he helps the kids to “get it.” We also talk about what his ideal classroom would like as well as what advice he would give to brand new teachers.

I hope that you will think about what has worked for Ernie and try some of his ideas in your classroom.

You can connect with Ernie through his email 2016TOTY@gmail.comor go to the WindsorForest High School website.

Thanks for listening.

Enjoy!

Length:46:10