Reflecting Wednesday night on why she wanted to become a teacher, Brittany Collins talked about having great teachers, loving learning and wanting to share that love of learning with others.
"I'm also a bit bossy," which can help with leading a classroom, Washington County Public Schools' newest Teacher of the Year said.
Collins, a multilingual learner teacher at Springfield Middle School in Williamsport, was among six finalists for the honor. The 2024-2025 WCPS Teacher of the Year was announced Wednesday evening at a banquet at the Washington County Chamber of Commerce hosted at the Fountain Head Country Club north of Hagerstown.
"I stand before you totally and completely humble and honored to receive this," Collins told about 175 people in the ballroom. "To me, teaching isn’t just a profession. It’s a passion in my life. I love waking up every day and going to school and seeing my students."
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Collins said later that she plans to provide her students a meal from Chick-fil-A after winning a prize package that includes free Chick-fil-A for a year.
She said her students are motivated by trying new foods and bring her their food.
As a multilingual learner teacher, Collins teaches middle school students how to speak English and co-teaches and plans with other teachers at Springfield Middle to help them teach this growing population of students, said Paula Moore, supervisor of English for Speakers of Other Languages and World Languages.
Springfield Middle Principal Lindsey Avara, who nominated Collins for the honor, said Collins "does not see any barrier as a reason why her students can't succeed."
Collins goes beyond teaching them English.
She helps her students and their families connect to resources, whether that's serving as a liaison with a medical provider to get a child an appointment or connecting youths with sports teams, Avara said.
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Recruited to teach students learning to speak English
Collins told the audience that a supervisor sat in her third-grade classroom, at Maugansville Elementary School, and repeatedly tried to recruit her to become a multilingual learner teacher.
That supervisor was Moore.
Moore remembered watching Collins teach those third-graders and being "blown away" by what an amazing teacher Collins is.
She was engaging and had high expectations and great relationships with her students, Moore said.
Collins said she was encouraged to try being a multilingual learner teacher for a year.
"And now I never will leave," she said.
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Collins said being named Teacher of the Year isn't about her, but about her students.
"It’s about a population of students that is growing at a tremendous rate and the importance of welcoming them into our classrooms," she said.
"Every day my students inspire me to be the best teacher I can because I watch them persevere through hard things," she said. "I watch their dedication to learning English, something they’re going to utilize every single day for the rest of their lives. And every single minute that I’m in front of my students, I remember that what they’re learning is going to carry them through every single day."
Collins mother, Jewel, said she would check on her young daughter at home and find her teaching her stuffed animals, which were gathered on her bed. Sometimes Collins' little brother was among the pupils.
"If anybody couldn't tell, she has a passion for what she's doing. She loves life and she loves her job," Collins' mother said.
Among the other family members present at the event were Collins' husband, Michael, and father, Steve.
Collins has taught for Washington County Public Schools for eight years. She started at Salem Avenue Elementary School in Hagerstown's West End, teaching second- and third-graders. Then she taught third grade at Maugansville Elementary before becoming a multilingual learner teacher at Springfield Middle.
Before joining the local school system, Collins taught for Frederick County Public Schools, teaching kindergarten and fourth grade at Whittier Elementary in Frederick, Md.
What does the teacher of the year receive?
Hagerstown Honda/Hagerstown Kia lends the winner a vehicle for a year. Collins selected the white Kia Telluride sport utility vehicle in the country club's parking lot.
WCPS gives the winner $5,000. Each finalist receives $1,000. That money must be used for resources in the teachers' classrooms.
The finalists received other prizes as well.
Who were the other Teacher of the Year finalists?
The other finalists for the 2024-2025 Washington County Teacher of the Year were:
- Autumn Ackerman, a Job Development Program teacher at the Marshall Street School in Hagerstown's West End.
- Carly Shockey, a second-grade teacher at Emma K. Doub Elementary School in the city's South End.
- Ashley Stotelmyer, a gifted and talented educator at Sharpsburg Elementary School.
- Angie Stouffer, a science teacher at Smithsburg High School.
- Stephanie Twigg, a fourth- and fifth-grade magnet teacher at Williamsport Elementary School.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Springfield Middle School multilingual learner teacher named WCPS Teacher of the Year
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