- Lois Everett, Marysville STEM Early College High School

“Catherine's ability to inspire students to take charge of their future is truly remarkable. ”

-Lois Everett

Teaching is more than having a great idea. I came to teaching relatively late and quickly learned that having fun and creative ideas is just the beginning. The real work of teaching lies in the doing. Great teachers do. They take a great idea, pivot quickly, and turn it into actionable steps. They break down the learning process and map out a meaningful path to mastery of skills, complete with various ways to measure those skills. They expertly meet students where they are and take them where they need to go. Catherine Boylan is one of those teachers at Marysville STEM Early College High School.

Ask anyone near Catherine; they can testify to her tornado-like energy as she contributes to our school culture as co-leader of our student council and as a historian documenting school events as yearbook advisor. Planning and directing the Homecoming Parade? Ask Catherine. Corralling prom chaperones? Ask Catherine. Snapping a photo for the girl's golf team? Ask Catherine. Refreshments and performance schedules for STEAM night? Ask Catherine.

Catherine's tireless dedication is a beacon of inspiration to all of us. She barrels through the hallways of our school, coordinating countless efforts to bring meaning to the moments in our high schoolers' lives. This dedication transfers to her classroom, where she has taken a great idea of connecting Salinger's Catcher in the Rye with the adolescent mental health crisis and turned it into action. Students created art gallery-level presentations to show the agony and despair of mental health conditions and their treatment throughout the decades. She has crafted rubrics and benchmarks to provide a consistent measuring stick for the learning of our top-level College Composition students, and she helps our most struggling seniors navigate their way to graduation. Her energy and dedication to our students is truly remarkable and serves as a model for all of us.

One of my favorite stories about Catherine is connected to a student who, throughout his time in high school, seemed directionless. In Catherine's class, she met this young man where he was and asked him about his plans for the future. He shrugged and said, "I guess I will attend college…" Practical Catherine responded: "College is awfully expensive to enter into without a plan." She has all of her junior students research a career path, and this young man began to look into a career in plumbing. This research made way for an internship with a local plumber, which resulted in a job offer upon his graduation from high school. To see this young man proudly stride to the front of the lecture hall (his mother was crying), was such a victorious moment for everyone. And it all began with a teacher who took the time to personalize this young man's learning, to take him where he wanted to go, and to simply ask the right questions. Catherine's ability to inspire students to take charge of their future is truly remarkable.

We would all be lucky to have such a teacher as Catherine Boylan.

Teachers Honor Teachers

The Martha Holden Jennings Foundation invites teachers to recognize a colleague they know is doing exceptional work in the classroom.

In the above post, Lois Everett expresses her admiration for fellow teacher, Catherine Boylan. Thank you to both educators for your dedication to students and for taking the time to showcase what it means to deliver challenging, innovative, and student-centered lessons that result in powerful and deep learning.

Through the Teachers Honor Teachers Program, The Foundation is seeking Ohio public school teachers to share great things about a teaching colleague in an Ohio public school that ensures deep learning for students. If we choose to post your story, we will award $500 toward that teacher's classroom for their great work and $500 toward your classroom for honoring their excellence. Apply here.