AACPS Teacher of the Year: A Champion in the Classroom
by Piper Langenfeld
For 2024 Anne Arundel County Public School (AACPS) Teacher of the Year Elizabeth Heist, the key to success is community. Reflecting on her own relationships, the Lake Shore Elementary School music teacher shares the little ways parents and teachers can make a difference in students' lives. To summarize herself as a teacher in one quote, Elizabeth offers up a saying by the late well-known educator Rita Pierson: “Every child needs a champion—an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power
just as they do from her. Throughout her years of teaching, the Pennsylvania native says her students have taught her how to find a healthy balance between meeting deadlines and truly loving her job and the connections she’s able to foster. Elizabeth hopes to always inspire her students to be the best they can be. The 2024 AACPS Teacher of the Year knows that she wouldn’t be the person she is today without her own champions. She encourages everyone to build relationships with the people around them, and that in doing so, everything else will fall into place. You’ll end up being someone’s champion, too!
of connection, and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be.” Throughout her years in school, Elizabeth had multiple teachers who were champions to her. They inspired her to be great, not only in music but also in character. One of those teachers was Mr. McDowell, her high school band director. “When I was in high school I had absolutely no self-confidence. I didn’t
believe in myself and was often bullied and teased in school,” Elizabeth reflects. “[Mr. McDowell] invested in my life and cared about me as a person.” Although the music teacher grew up in Somerset, PA, she has taught in Anne Arundel County her entire career. With over 11 years under her belt at Lake Shore Elementary School in Pasadena, the award-winning educator aims to be the support for her students that Mr. McDowell was for her. Elizabeth is a firm believer in open communication between teachers and parents, as well as between parents and children. She explained that parents being involved in their student’s education goes far beyond volunteering at their school, and extends to knowing the nitty gritty about their day, including what they might be struggling with. Heist advises parents to, “encourage their child to do their best, which will look different for every single child.” Creating a classroom family and a positive environment with her students are high priorities for Elizabeth, and allow her to learn from her students
Photos Courtesy of Elizabeth Heist
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