Benjamin Logan High School teacher leader Spencer Reames, who was recently recognized for excellence in the classroom, participated in a dialogue earlier this month with state leaders about teacher recruitment and retention in Ohio.
The event at the Columbus Museum of Art was hosted by the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation in partnership with the Ohio Department of Education and Ohio Department of Higher Education.
Reames, currently in his 55th year of teaching, was selected from a statewide group of 2022 Science Teacher Finalists to receive an Ohio Teaching Award of Excellence in Science, which came with $1,000 to be used for an innovative classroom project.
Ohio’s Honored Teachers and other participants were asked to review two readings and attend a dialogue session with peers from districts across the state, along with State Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Stephanie Siddens and other regional and state-level leaders.
The exchange involved examining the driving question: How might teacher leadership and engagement contribute to efforts to recruit and retain excellent teachers locally, in your region, and across Ohio?
“The entire experience was invigorating,” said Reames. “It was incredible being with passionate, dedicated, high-performing teachers. There is a renewed emphasis on obtaining quality teachers and retaining them.
“It is understood that teachers need to be recognized for the good things they are doing. The need to feel a sense of support and to have freedom in the classroom is something that needs to remain on the forefront; however, there are many roadblocks that impede the educational process.”
The dialogue session explored how the deeply-engaged group’s experiences, perspectives, and ideas could lead to opportunities and considerations for local, regional, and statewide actions.
Benjamin Logan High School educator Spencer Reames, right, is pictured with Dan Keenan, Martha Holden Jennings Foundation executive director. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)