- October 30, 2024
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Most teachers’ students fall somewhere in the same general age group. But Flagler Technical Institute teacher Mariann Mahnke’s adult education pupils may be 16 or 60.
"We, as teachers, can make a difference for each of our students by showing the student they can make mistakes as long as they learn from them."
— MARIANN MAHNKE
Often, they’ve had a difficult path before they get to FTI.
“Some are here because the regular school system didn’t work for them,” she wrote in her Teacher of the Year statement. “They may have been missing too many days of school because of illness, or they moved too much. Others come because life was rough when they were younger and education wasn’t as much of a priority.”
That brings special challenges, and special rewards.
“I want my classroom environment to be a safe place to learn,” she wrote. “A place where they can try to answer a question they might not feel ready for and use that eraser on the pencil if needed. ... We, as teachers, can make a difference for each of our students by showing the student they can make mistakes as long as they learn from them.”
To help make coursework feel relevant for students, she’s been bringing career textbooks into the classroom for reading practice.
“I have seen the enthusiasm for reading increase when a student is using passages from a textbook in the field of their choice,” she wrote. She expects to soon have a library of career-related books in each adult basic education and GED classroom — giving the students engaging reading material while also informing them about career programs.
