CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — She's been a health professions teacher for more than 15 years, and her students will tell you, Kate Doctor finds many ways to get them excited about learning. And that’s why Chesterfield County Schools has named her Teacher of the Year.
Chesterfield Schools Supt. Merv Daugherty led a contingent into Doctor’s Monacan High School classroom Wednesday, and students quickly realized something big was going on.
"You knew Kate Doctor was Monacan’s Teacher of the Year, but now she is the Teacher of the Year for Chesterfield!" Daugherty told the crowd.
That surprise presentation for Doctor brought plenty of praise and even a nice prize, including a $1,000 check from the Chesterfield Education Foundation.
"Use how you want," the union representative said.
Doctor has been teaching at Monacan since 2005. She's being honored, school officials said, because she helped students explore their interest in possible careers in sports medicine, exercise science, and other medical professions.
"The minute I walked into this classroom, I just loved it,” student Nadia Logue said. “And it was all because of her."
Doctor said a kind word from her students was the reward she valued most.
"It always feels good when we hear that they're enjoying it,” Doctor said. “Not just learning, but enjoying what they're doing."
Doctor's family, which includes a ninth grader at Monacan, said Kate Doctor has always given her all.
"I'm just excited that my mom got it to see all her hard work pay off, because I know how hard she works outside school," her daughter said.
Principal William Broyles said Doctor motivated students by connecting real-world experience to the classroom, which Doctor said is important in an evolving, demanding field.
“What does this recognition mean to you?" I asked.
"It means a lot,” Doctor said. “It means a lot. Monacan is a pretty special place, and in this building Mr. Broyles has allowed us to do a lot of harebrained ideas and different activities and events to get these kids learning. And he always says ‘yes’. So getting recognized for some of these different projects and things that we've gotten to do, feels really special."
Doctor is now entered into the running for the Region 1 Teacher of the Year award, which is administered by the Virginia Department of Education.
“It sometimes feels like hard work, but the job is so rewarding,” Doctor said. “Teaching is an incredibly important career that has value in the community.”
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