NEW PALESTINE — Students in Deb Weiler’s class must take ownership for the work they do, including learning what areas they need to improve on. Learning how to do that through technology and the latest educational assessment programs is a must for educators, the Southern Hancock teacher says.
Her classroom methods on engagement and ownership have made Weiler a successful teacher over the past 2½ decades educating fourth-grade students at Sugar Creek Elementary and now sixth-grade students at New Palestine Intermediate School.
The 2019-20 coming school year will be Weiler’s 26th in education, and she’s recently been awarded not only for her longevity, but for her methods and practices.
Weiler was recently named an “Inspiring Educator” by Edmentum Inc., a national education technology company that provides online learning assessment programs for teachers.
She was one of only four teachers in the country to receive the distinction, awarded annually by Edmentum, a company that serves 1 million children in 40,000 schools in all 50 states.
Weiler received a correspondence from the company, which the district uses, back in March after they had heard she was implementing numerous interactive programs in the classroom through technology, and also sharing the programs and data with other educators.
Weiler was asked to share what she’s been doing with the programs via blogs, and she did so. She recently found out she was selected as an “Inspiring Educator” by Edmentum for the work.
“I was surprised for sure, but ultimately, this is about what the students are doing in the classroom,” Weiler said.
In addition to receiving a plaque for the honor, she was also given a monetary of several hundred dollars, which she put immediately back into her classroom to prepare for the upcoming school year, she said.
Weiler has been known for years around the district and state as someone who creatively incorporates technology into her lessons to drive student engagement and facilitate a love of learning.
“Deb is truly an amazing educator,” superintendent Lisa Lantrip said. “She always takes the new and implements with much enthusiasm and energy.”
Weiler has served on many state-level committees with the Indiana Department of Education and is deserving of the recognition, the superintendent said, calling Weiler a great educator.
Edmentum takes a teacher-first approach to education technology, officials from the organization said in an email to the Daily Reporter. Their goal is to focus on equipping educators with the tools they need to give every student the attention they deserve.
With the award, Edmentum aimed to highlight a select few educators within its 10,000 plus network who have excelled in technology integration, innovation, and student engagement. Edmentum sought out educators who push their students to achieve their highest potential by creatively using technology to drive enthusiastic learning.
“Debra’s passion for each of her students as individuals as well as her commitment to technology as a tool for academic progress made her highly deserving of this award,” Bailey Vehslage, company spokesperson said.
Weiler’s passion for teaching and for each of her students is immediately apparent to anyone who has ever walked into her classroom.
Weiler knows many students can feel defeated when they don’t make a sports team or get the grade or test score they wanted, she said. Her goal is to encourage them to understand the reasoning behind an outcome and show them how they can work on their goals to make a positive change in the future.
“I want them to understand, too, that their score doesn’t define them, but it’s there to help them,” Weiler said. “For example, when you look at the scale and see your weight, you know you’re more than that number; it doesn’t define who you are.”
The district mostly uses an assessment program called NWEA — a research-based, not-for-profit organization that supports students and educators with creating assessment solutions to measure growth precisely to provide insights to help tailor instruction.
The district uses the Edmentum programs to complement students’ NWEA scores so educators can get a better feel on how to help each student progress, Weiler said.
