December 26, 2001
Teacher of the Year having time of his life
Jim Linsell travels state speaking with teachers, students, parents
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
The 2001-2002 Teacher of the Year is having the Time of His Life.
Roving the state, talking to teachers, student teachers, administrators, students and parents, Jim Linsell has become a one-man clearinghouse for what works in classrooms around the state.
Whether giving a formal presentation to 700 education students or talking one-on-one to teachers in a rural district in the Upper Peninsula, Linsell is gaining a unique perspective on the state of the state's education. One very positive note he has identified is the deep commitment of his fellow educators to their students.
"As I go to all the districts around the state, a common element is the energy level and commitment of the teachers I see," said Linsell, on leave for the year from Eastern Elementary School, where he is a sixth- grade teacher. "I don't know how it compares to other careers, I don't have as much experience at that, but there's an internal drive here to do the best because they are working for the benefit of others - the kids."
"I've been so impressed with the attitude statewide among teachers who take so seriously the teaching of kids."
Spending a year on the road, Linsell will criss-cross the state both gathering information and sharing success stories. He has already traveled 11,000 miles in just four months and has started turning down requests because his calendar is booked.
Linsell has an office this year in Lansing at the State Department of Education. Three days each week he travels out of town to either Lansing or to districts or colleges around the state. The other two days are devoted to planning, scheduling and giving presentations around northern Michigan.
He has created a number of presentations, including teaching technology applications, new teacher recruitment and retention and professional development for veteran teachers.
"I share the success I've observed along the way, either in my own career or from others around me," said Linsell, a Michigan State University graduate who has a master's degree in educational philosophy and curriculum development from the University of Chicago. "I see myself as a connection with lots of best practices around the state and my job is to share them."
Linsell has found that as a teacher from Traverse City, his reputation has preceded him. This reflects his personal feelings about receiving the Teacher of the Year award: he is a product of the other excellent teachers he has taught with over the years.
Having spent 22 years with Traverse City Area Public Schools, Linsell said the district is filled with caring dedicated professionals who nurture each other and have high standards for themselves and the students.
"The Traverse City public school system and community really have a very positive reputation around the state," he noted. "We have many programs that are the envy of many around the state, even districts that spend more money per pupil than we do. It is the people here that make the difference."
Despite the excitement of speaking, traveling and meeting people, Linsell went through an intense period of withdrawal a few weeks into the academic year. After 26 years straight of being immersed in a school setting, both as principal and teacher, suddenly being without a school's daily regimen was very unsettling. Plus he desperately missed his students.
"There was no daily or weekly rhythm and at the beginning it was like, 'The bell hasn't rung, I can't stop thinking of this yet,'" he said. "For a few weeks in October I just wanted to be back. I missed the classroom, the kids in the classroom. Now, I've adjusted and I think that being able to structure your own time is a luxury."
One of his areas of focus during the year is to look at ways to recruit and retain quality teachers. With an average of 30 percent of teachers leaving the profession within five years, Linsell feels an obligation to find ways to address this problem.
Coupling his personal experiences over nearly three decades, plus what he has learned this year on the road, he believes this means increasing mentoring and support opportunities for new teachers. Linsell also believes in encouraging professional development and broad teaching experience for veteran teachers.
While he loves teaching and plans at least another ten years in the profession, Linsell is determined that tomorrow's students have the same or better quality of educators that students today have.
"What teachers do today is so much more than what was done 30 years ago, the amount of information and complexity is so much greater," Linsell said. "I tell the student teachers that this is the hardest job you'll ever love - there are a ton of intrinsic rewards but you just have to hang in there to get them."