FeedsNorthville teacher honored among best in Wayne County
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Scott Szukaitis's teaching style earned him the Teacher of the Year Award from Wayne County Regional Educational Service Agency (RESA).A respected and admired Northville teacher got a little more respected and admired recently.
Scott Szukaitis, a science teacher at Northville High School, was named Teacher of the Year by the Wayne County Regional Educational Service Agency (RESA). Leonard Rezmierski, superintendent of the Northville Public School District, said the choice came as no real surprise.
“(He) sets himself apart as a teacher by connecting directly with students and understanding their individual learning needs,” said Rezmierski. “Each and every day in his classroom he goes beyond expectations in terms of how he personalizes the high school science curriculum to offer opportunities for learning success for all students.
“This recognition is well deserved,” Rezmierski added. “We are all-students, staff and parents-fortunate to have him as part of our team.”
Teacher of Year candidates are nominated by their local school districts and those written nominations are then reviewed and scored by a formal screening committee.
Szukaitis was one of six teachers from 34 districts honored by RESA; two teachers from each level-elementary, middle and high school-are honored every year.
Rob Watson, principal of Northville High School, said he’s had plenty of opportunities to watch Szukaitis at work. He said once a learning disabled student in Szukaitis’s Michigan Natural Resources class was having difficulty processing one of the projects required for the class. The assignment called for students to identify an environmental issue and offer a solution, including citing articles, in a written report. The student’s idea was to create a fire suppression system for the barn located at nearby Maybury State Park using a water tower to pull water from a local creek. It was an extremely innovative and well-thought-out concept.
However the student was having great difficulty conveying his idea in writing.
“Sitting in the conference room outside my office, Scott worked side-by-side with the student as he drew a picture of his concept and explained how it would work,” Watson said. “As I watched the assignment play out and the interaction between Scott and the student, I was at a loss for words.
“He directly connected with the student’s strengths in a way that allowed the student to experience success and feel good about himself,” Watson added. “It was a great reminder for me of the incredible difference we as educators can make in the lives of our students.”
He regularly takes advantage of the school’s proximity to Maybury State Park and Maybury Farm. Working in partnership with the farm’s staff, Szukaitis and students in his Michigan Natural Resources and Advanced Placement Environmental Science classes develop, plant and maintain the 15,000-square-foot organic garden at Maybury Farm.
Skilled in global positioning system mapping, Szukaitis also works with his students to coordinate the planning and implementation of the popular corn maze enjoyed each fall by visitors to Maybury Farm.
Szukaitis is a self-described member of the video game generation, and said he knows well how teachers have to compete with high-tech distractions. He doesn’t do that, though-he incorporates them into his lessons.
“Technology presents creative ways to reach students with multiple learning styles while simultaneously providing external stimulus to capture and hold each student’s attention,” Szukaitis said. “Today’s classroom doesn’t need to be a video game, but it does need to challenge the distractions present in students’ everyday lives in order to capture and hold their attention.”
He works with students after class hours, too. He’s the varsity track and field coach and, in the off season, he serves as an athletic coordinator for the school athletic department supervising athletic events from cross country, to swimming, to hockey. He has coached the high school’s Science Olympiad Team, too.
“I believe students are motivated to try harder, both in the classroom and at home, and are more receptive to constructive criticism, when they feel that their teacher genuinely cares about their achievements as individuals,” Szukaitis said.
