Carmichaels teacher finalist for Pa. Teacher of the Year
Brittney Bell is known for her wild ideas and big heart.
Several times each year, the Carmichaels Elementary fifth-grade teacher transforms her classroom, sometimes into a boot camp, other times into a space station, to reinforce English and Language Arts lessons.
On her off hours, Bell is often spotted cheering students from the bleachers or sidelines.
“I approach teaching from a relationship-first standpoint,” said Bell, who is finishing her ninth year of teaching at Carmichaels. “A lot of people say classrooms are teacher-driven or student-driven. It is true to an extent, but it has to be relationship-driven. It’s not just about them doing well on the state tests or scoring high. They need to know that no matter what they do educationally, you are in their corner.”
Now, Bell’s students are in her corner, as the engaging and supportive teacher completes her application for Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year. Bell is one of 12 teachers in the state to be named a 2024 finalist for the prestigious award. In neighboring Fayette County, Laurel Highlands Life Skills teacher Justin Ward is also a finalist for the award.
“I don’t know if there has been a Teacher of the Year award finalist in Greene County,” said Fred Morecraft, superintendent of Carmichaels Area School District. “Here, we’ve never had one as long as I’ve been teacher, principal or superintendent. I can’t say how proud we are of her (Bell) as a district. There’s just so many good things to say about her.”
The nomination came as a surprise to Bell, who was notified in October that she had been nominated, and her first round of application materials was due. Teachers who made it into the second round, including Bell, attended a blind Zoom interview with the judging panel.
Now, Bell is collecting materials for the third round of competition, which includes video clips of her teaching and an essay on what she feels will change in education in the next decade.
“I’ve been in the classroom for a decade already and I see how much can change in the decade,” Bell said. “The way we talk about careers has changed a lot. Now, we’ve incorporated careers into the curriculum. I feel like how we talk about and approach careers with kids will change.”
That shift in career talk was felt by Bell’s students this year, who were treated to guest speakers.
“The different thing I did this year was try to tie in different careers to the room transformations I was doing. When I did the text feature surgery … I decorated my room like a surgical room. My mom got to come into school and talk to my class about nursing. When I did my parts of speech boot camp, they’re wearing camo and marching and learning parts of speech. Our superintendent Mr. Morecraft, he’s actually a veteran, he came to talk to the kids about what real boot camp is like. I want to continue to find different speakers that tie into the crazy, off-the-wall transformations that I do,” Bell said.
The hardest part of the early Teacher of the Year application process, for Bell, was not sharing the excitement and nerves with her colleagues.
“It’s not allowed to be published news until the Department of Education announces it. I’m very much someone who relies on my team. They are the most supportive team in the world. Holding in the surprise was a challenge for me,” Bell said.
Now the secret’s out, and her team teachers have stepped up to cover classes or help Bell in any way as she applies for the Teacher of the Year award.
“Her team, you can’t leave them out. The stuff that they do together just makes education,” said Morecraft.
Bell’s passion for education is apparent in the way she approaches lesson planning and teamwork, and Morecraft has watched her grow over the past nearly 10 years.
“She kind of holds a special place in my heart: she was my student teacher. I was her mentor teacher when she got hired. I got the chance to see all the phases of her growing (as a teacher),” he said. “She does amazing things for her kids.”
Amazing things include being there for students outside the classroom.
“Teaching is a lot more than just teaching. Teachers wear so many hats. A lot of times, a lot of things teachers do go unnoticed. We really show up behind the scenes: we’re (students) biggest cheerleader. We really are these kids’ counselors a lot of times – uncertified, of course,” Bell laughed. “We say our job would be so easy if all we did was teach. Part of the fun is all the different things we get to be for them.”
For Bell, every day, even the difficult ones, is rewarding, and she is honored to be named a finalist for Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year.
“My students, they’re such a gift. They are the nicest kids. Just watching them root for each other, and teaching them things like how to react when they lose and watching them live it, and be compassionate and kind, those are the things that are most important to me,” said Bell. “I know there’s no best kids on earth, but I feel like Carmichaels has the best kids on earth. The fact that a teacher from a small school in Greene County made it to be a finalist for Teacher of the Year out of every teacher in the state is amazing. I’m proud to represent the Mighty Mikes. These are my kids, this is my home. I want to make them proud.”