Wake County Teacher of the Year Johnny Gatlin loves to teach
May 27, 2003 - Johnny Gatlin, the newly named Wake County
Teacher of the Year, loves teaching, a love that grew out
of the work ethic and sense of service instilled by his parents.
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"I have had an interesting life in that my family struggled
growing up," Gatlin said. "I feel there is a real
responsibility on my part, because I have been given some
opportunities to touch people's lives through being a teacher,
through being a leader, through being a role model. Every
day I live that. I try to be a positive influence for students
so they will do the same for someone else. Every day I see
it as an opportunity to a make a difference where I am."
Gatlin was on track to become a TV weather forecaster. He
had completed an undergraduate degree at North Carolina State
University and was serving an internship at a Greensboro television
station when he realized it wasn't what he wanted to do.
"I decided to go to grad school, that maybe that's where
I would find my calling and passion," said Gatlin. "I
went to meteorology, and they asked me to be a teacher's assistant
for a lab class. I got to actually do lesson plans and interact
with students. Their faces would light up during an activity.
I got to work with the questioning skills and opening up students'
minds to a new topic that they had never thought about before.
That was really exciting to me."
Gatlin went to his university advisors and asked what he had
to do to become a teacher.
"They said, 'You're in the meteorology department. You
need to transfer to education,'" he remembered. "I
haven't looked back. It's been a tremendous ride so far. I
love it."
Gatlin teaches earth and environmental science to ninth- and
tenth-graders at the new Middle Creek High School.
"We just did a seminar in earth science where we divided
the class into eight groups like deforestation, global warming
and endangered species," said Gatlin. "What the
students recognized is that removing the forest takes away
the habitats which leads to endangered species. They're seeing
the interconnectedness. Every action has a consequence. I
want to get them to a point where they can understand what
they're hearing about on the news, or what they're reading
about, so they can make an informed decision that works for
them."
In preparing lessons for his students, Gatlin seeks different methods of delivering the information to meet students' needs.
"We have studied the 'Theory of Multiple Intelligences' by Howard Gardner which says that everybody has intelligences or strengths, and that's the way they best learn. I think by planning diverse lessons, you immediately go to the strength of the child and the child realizes, 'Hey. I can do this because this is something I feel comfortable with.' Then you are able to lock them in and pull them in and you've got them," said Gatlin. "I try to plan these diverse lessons that will reach them and they can say 'Wow. I get it!' because I am appealing to what's familiar and comfortable to them. It's not something that is abstract. I think that is the best way to reach them."
Gatlin said teaching is understanding your students and igniting their desire to learn.
"You have to know your students and know their learning styles, and you have to plan lessons that will reach them," Gatlin said. "It's not always about statistics, or the EOCs or EOGs. The state testing and accountability, that's important, and we should be data driven so we are continually improving, but you can't forget that behind that statistic is a living, breathing child. That's important. Show that you care."
This year Gatlin was part of the faculty that opened the new Middle Creek High School.
"It's a lot of work, lots and lots of work," said Gatlin. "There are no traditions set. There is no foundation. But that's very empowering. Our students who are freshmen and sophomores are so used to letting the experienced juniors and seniors lead the school. We don't have that here. Our freshmen and sophomores are forced to be the leaders in school. We have had some wonderful leaders step up to the plate. It has been a tremendous process. They come in that first couple of days, and they are wide-eyed and kind of scared. Now they are these mature, responsible young men and women who say we may be freshmen and sophomores but we're running the school. That's been exciting."
The school opened with 728 ninth- and tenth-graders. Over the next two years, the school will be filled with all four grades, providing the school time to grow and allowing nearby high school juniors and seniors to graduate at their current schools. Opening a new school has been exciting for faculty, too.
"For teachers, we all chose to come here, so we all wanted to be a part of something special," said Gatlin. "We have all been challenged to grow this year. That's one reason I wanted to come. I knew it would be a challenge that would force me to become a better teacher and to become a better leader. That was something that I wanted and knew that I needed. It has been a wonderful experience. It has been hard, yes, but it has been very empowering."
Gatlin has served as student government advisor helping Middle Creek students establish new traditions for the school. He has helped students see the importance of helping others.
"I feel I have a responsibility, because I have been put in a situation where I was able to go to college. I'm the first college graduate in my family," said Gatlin. "It is everyone's responsibility to make it a better place for everybody else. Our student government was involved in Operation Comfort. We collected over 10 bags worth of personal hygiene stuff with WRAL that we gave to support the troops. We collected over 700 canned goods for the NC Food Bank. We raised over $250 for American Cancer Society. We've done a lot of good stuff."
Gatlin is involved in service work in his church and in the community, a value instilled in him by his parents.
"My parents dropped out of high school in the tenth and eleventh grade, got married, got jobs in the local factories and, by the time they were 19, had two daughters," Gatlin said. "They realized real early that there would be opportunities lost because of that lack of a diploma. So they worked very, very hard just to get anything. I saw the hard work they put in, and it wasn't just at their job, but at home, in the schools my sisters and I attended, and in our church. As role models, they helped me develop a strong work ethic. I saw it every day of my life. It became a natural part of me, always wanting to go the distance and make sure that I did the best I could. I had a responsibility to do so."
His love of teaching, compassion for students and commitment to service leads students, co-workers and others to speak about Gatlin in glowing terms. Even so, he says recognition as Wake County's Teacher of the Year was surprising.
"Never in my wildest dreams did I expect this to happen, because there are so many great teachers in Wake County. To choose one is so very hard," said Gatlin. "When they called my name, it was a big pat on the back to say, 'Thank you for doing what you do every day.' I don't view it as an individual recognition, because I'm the product of many special people that impacted my life from the moment that I was born, from my family to my teachers and college professors and the teachers at Middle Creek and Garner high schools. This is really a group recognition. I was totally shocked when they picked me. It was overwhelming."
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