Sarah Brown Wessling - A Great Character of "Excellence"

Sarah Brown Wessling was awarded the 2010 National Teacher of the Year.  She teaches English to sophmores, juniors and seniors at Johnston High School in Johnston, where she has been working for 10 of her 11 years in the education profession.

“The challenges in front of us are as poignant as ever and are creating a sense of urgency in teachers that ‘the time is now’ for creating more authentic learning experiences, for preparing students to compete in a global economy, for cultivating professional learning communities that nurture deliberate decision-making, for ensuring that we use assessment for learning. And time has become the teacher’s most precious commodity. Educators have the uncanny ability to find time in its best hiding spots and create moments of great purpose and clarity. Instead of lamenting that there is never enough time, I see teachers creating the kinds of lessons that make students say, ’Time just flew by!’ Instead of complaining that they can’t find the time, I hear teachers asking, ‘What time did you go to sleep last night?’ Teaching today requires a breadth and depth of commitment that we ask of only our most essential professionals.”

Character Learning Systems is happy to use Sarah Brown Wessling as an example of a person with great character and a perfect example of someone with "EXCELLENCE."