When Maggie Hawk graduated from Randolph Macon College, she couldn’t wait to return to Frederick, Maryland and teach at Yellow Springs Elementary School where she had been a student. Learning did not come easy for her as a child, however, due to struggles with dyslexia, a developmental reading disorder. Hawk overcame her challenges and became a good student through hard work, determination, and the support of her family and teachers. So when she says all students can and will learn, she means it.
As a first-grade teacher, Hawk has built an ideal learning environment by combining solid data, effective use of technology and a collaborative teaching approach combined with an unflagging work ethic and a commitment to connect with each student. Students with academic or behavioral difficulties routinely blossom in her class, and every student exceeds the high expectations set for them. Whether co-teaching with other specialists to meet student IEP needs or supporting students who already excel to greater heights, Hawk’s students consistently leave her class above grade-level in core subjects, confident and ready to learn more. Hawk is committed to using technology and the widest variety of traditional and innovative learning techniques to help each student deeply understand the material.
It’s not uncommon to hear students saying they want to grow up and become a teacher “just like Mrs. Hawk!” It’s also not unusual for students in her classroom to applaud the success of their peers. This behavior does not come naturally. Teaching life’s lessons is second nature to this dedicated teacher.
It seems everyone has a “Mrs. Hawk story” about her care and attention in support of student learning. There was the student whose mother was deployed to Iraq. Maggie created a video of the child in the classroom and mailed it overseas. There were the students with severe disabilities who overcame their challenges to make significant academic progress. There’s the student she’s mentored for years and who lives with an elderly great-grandmother.
Hawk’s kind intervention enabled all these students and many more to continue learning with their peers despite disruptions or challenges in their lives. In addition, she takes turns joining each student in the class for lunch to get to know the “whole person.” Her warmth and fortitude provide valuable life lessons that profoundly reinforce the academic curriculum for the entire class, a collaborative learning community that supports and celebrates together through challenges and successes.
“My objective is to teach my kids how to succeed each in..." (read more)
