What can you learn from Juliana Urtubey, the national 2021 Teacher of the Year?

Quite a lot, actually. Juliana is an excellent teacher because she understands the importance of relationships with her students. She builds trust and connects with them on a personal level, which helps her guide and motivate them in their learning.

And she’s so good at this she was named the National Teacher of the Year because of it. So let’s take a moment and see what lessons you can take away from her yourself.

 

What You Can Learn From Juliana Urtubey As A Teacher

 

Use Hands-On Experiences To Encourage Growth And Development

Something Juliana is a big fan of is taking students outside. She led the effort to add plants and gardens to her school, so there’s always something nice for students to see and interact with. But she doesn’t just take them outside to see the greenery.

She also uses the idea of plants and gardens to help students understand what it is to have good character, as well as to instill a growth mindset in them. Plants are all about being steady, enduring the elements, and blossoming to their full potential. So she makes sure students recognize they can accomplish the same thing with some grit and determination.

 

Encourage Students To Be Themselves While Also Improving

If a student doesn’t feel confident in expressing themselves at school, this will stunt their development not only as students, but as growing adults as well. So it’s important you reaffirm the traits that make young students unique.

Juliana Urtubey makes a point of doing this by incorporating her student’s cultural backgrounds into her teaching. This allows them to bring a part of their home into the classroom, which will make them feel more comfortable with who they are. If you can help students feel more content in their own skin, they’ll be more likely to take risks and push themselves academically.

 

Strive To Create An Inclusive Environment

At the same time, you want to create the sense that all your students belong in your classroom. No one should feel like they’re an outsider. This is another thing Juliana excels at. She celebrates her student’s cultures and makes sure they feel included, which is why her students love going to school.

By finding this balance between encouraging uniqueness and inclusivity, Juliana has created a safe and welcoming space for her students to grow.

 

Focus On Social And Emotional Teaching As Well

Juliana is big on connecting with students beyond the grades in their report cards. She advocates for really getting to know your students in a personal way. It’s one of the major reasons students have grown so fond of her. To them, she’s not just a teacher. Instead, she’s a friend they can trust and confide in.

This type of relationship is key to helping students grow emotionally, as well as academically. So if you want to get the most out of your students, you have to be willing to go beyond just academic learning and into emotional and social learning, which is crucial for them as they grow into happy and functional adults.

 

Collaborate With Fellow Teachers

One thing that separates this award-winning teacher is her big-picture thinking. She realizes that teachers aren’t in it alone. They need to collaborate with each other and work together towards the same end goal, which is helping students excel.

So she believes teachers should help each other by sharing resources, ideas, and strategies. This type of teamwork will only make everyone involved stronger and more successful.

 

Grow Your Students Success With These Lessons From Juliana Urtubey

No matter what grade you teach, there’s plenty to learn from Juliana Urtubey. She’s a testament that good teaching is all about getting to know your students and helping them grow both academically and socially. Her lessons are invaluable, so make sure you don’t miss out and give these tips a shot.

By the way, if you want a way to quickly and easily try out tip #1 (i.e. provide hands-on experience), you can always grow your student’s typing skills with the useful programs found at KeyboardingOnline. Make sure to try them out if you want to help your students improve their writing and typing today.