Deb Booth’s advice to those considering a teaching career is that you need to have a passion for what you teach and compassion for whom you teach.
It is both her passion and compassion that led to Booth, an early literacy intervention teacher, being named this year’s Ellen Hopkins Elementary Teacher of the Year.
According to Ryan LaDage, Hopkins principal, Booth is a hard working and dedicated teacher.
“Her enthusiasm and passion for teaching helps to provide a wonderfully positive learning experience for her students,” LaDage said.
Booth’s compassion and gentle manner are evident as she helps support learners to build their confidence and success at school.
“It’s fun to see the energy she puts forth in her lessons and listen to her share the growth that her students are showing,” LaDage said. “This attitude is contagious as her students build and develop a love for reading and desire to succeed.”
Booth, who has been a teacher for Moorhead Area Public Schools for 25 years, earned her elementary education degree from Concordia College, Moorhead, and her master’s in special education from Minnesota State University Moorhead. She also has certification for LD (Learning Disabled) and EBD (Emotional/Behavior Disorders) from MSUM.
For the past six years, Booth has been an early literacy intervention teacher at Hopkins. Prior to that she taught EBD, kindergarten and grade 2 at several schools in the district. Booth is also the lead teacher for the morning EXCEL program for grades K-2 at Hopkins, and she serves on the district’s Continuing Education Committee and the Education Moorhead Membership Committee.
“One of my goals as an early literacy intervention teacher is to help every one of my students become successful at something they are struggling with,” she said “Helping a child overcome a difficulty and turn it into something he or she is proud of is extremely gratifying.”
Last year, Booth initiated an after-school homework program at Centro Cultural. She and AmeriCorps volunteers ran the program in conjunction with YouthWorks three days a week. While YouthWorks provided snacks, games and craft activities, Booth and the AmeriCorps volunteers provided homework help and academic activities for students ages preschool to grade 5. Unfortunately the programming ended once grant funding was no longer available.
During Booth’s 25 years with the district, she has seen teaching trends come and go. According to Booth, whether it is whole language or phonics, or it is outcomes, standards or targets, one common factor remains — children.
“We are still teaching children,” Booth said. “They are, and always will be, the most important part of a teacher’s work.”
