Erin Sponaugle, a December 2003 Shepherd graduate, has been named West Virginia Teacher of the Year for 2014.
According to the West Virginia Department of Education’s website, all candidates for the award should be dedicated, knowledgeable and skilled teachers in a state institution or accredited school pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.
“There are so many teachers that work very hard every day…I see myself as a representative of all the good things that go on in schools,” Sponaugle said.
She described receiving the reward and being asked to represent the state as a dream teaching job because she gets to represent something she loves. “It’s the best job to have in education. I take it seriously and I’m very excited,” Sponaugle said. However, Sponaugle wasn’t always so sure that she wanted to work in the education field.
As a child, Sponaugle was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder which she struggled with for many years. She recalled spending time with her aunt, a teacher in Berkeley County, W.Va. and Washington County, Md., as a young adult: “I loved what she did for her students, and I felt like she valued me beyond my obstacles. I thought she was extraordinary, but a month before my 16th birthday, she passed away.”
Sponaugle said she had no desire to be a teacher growing up, but she loved learning. She struggled with her anxiety in high school: “I was a very distraught young adult. I didn’t have the coping skills to get out of that hole… I couldn’t control my emotions and my fear.”
When Sponaugle started at Shepherd University, she majored in journalism. Participating in the PASS (Providing Academic and Self-esteem Support) program during her first year at Shepherd helped her make a decision to switch to education. Through this program, Sponaugle found that she wanted to make a difference and have an influence on the lives of others in a positive way. “I really had to work through it,” Sponaugle stated, referring to finding coping techniques to deal with her anxiety. “I did well academically, but I struggled with my anxiety disorder.” Sponaugle expressed the hope that sharing her story will help others realize they can accomplish their dreams and overcome personal challenges.
Sponaugle continued her education post-Shepherd and received a masters degree in educational leadership in 2009 from WVU and a national board certification the following year.
Sponaugle was nominated for teacher of the year at a faculty senate meeting at Tomahawk Intermediate where she has taught for nine years out of 11. Sponaugle interviewed at the state level after returning from a summer outreach program in Germany, and in October 2013, she received the award.
In the classroom, Sponaugle said she is very structured. She said that students need and want to know who is in charge because it makes them feel safe. Finding meaningful ways for students to engage is at the core of her classroom. One of her class projects was “Sponomics,” a classroom economy that allowed students to have a fictional job and to practice financial management as they received debits and moved money in a classroom environment.
Many of her projects utilize and develop technological literacy by asking students to develop videos or electronic class discussions to share their projects with others. “I love to do speaking things with my kids… and I like to have students create the content for what they will be learning,” Sponougle stated. “I love technology, and I love using it to engage in what we are learning.”
Part of Sponaugle’s award, in addition to funding, was a new SMART board projector and document viewer for her classroom. The students in her class also received clickers that look like remote controls that they can use to interact with the board in a variety of ways.
Sponougle started a student newspaper at her school, Smoke Signals, in an effort to encourage students to create writing and to read what others have written.
As the recipient of the award, Sponaugle had a long-term substitute take over her class for the rest of the year to attend the meetings, events and other requirements asked of the recipient of the award.
To stay in touch with students, Sponaugle has been blogging as Berkeley the Bear, a stuffed black teddy bear who represents the state from a child’s perspective on his adventures with Sponaugle at berkeleythebear@blogspot.com. She also has her own blog at wvtoy2014.blogspot.com. Sponaugle is interviewing teachers as she travels across the state to allow them to share their voice and passion for education with others through her YouTube channel, youtube.com/bethedifferencewv.
“I like the fact that Erin, who is a Shepherd grad, is returning to her home university to share her knowledge,” Cara Jeffries, a senior elementary education major, said.
Allison Masser, another senior elementary education major, stated, “Inspiration can come from anywhere, but Erin has been an inspiration of mine.”