Appreciating Our Teachers: A Q&A with Educators in the DMV

Teachers do it all—and often without the recognition they deserve.

In celebration of our hardworking teachers for Teacher Appreciation Week (May 8-12), we reached out to winning schools from Washington Family’s July 2022 Readers’ Choice Poll, each of which had school officials recommend a teacher that exemplified the school’s excellence. Get to know these local educators and why they do what they do.

Laura Nutter (Provided)

Appreciating Laura Nutter
Bullis High School, Potomac (Grades 9-12)

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

I love getting to know my students and talking to them about things they’re interested in and things they enjoy. I love getting them excited about science. I think of times where I’ve done a demonstration, and their jaws literally drop. How does that happen? Or maybe it’s something we’ve learned before and they’ll have that moment where they’re like, ‘Oh, that’s how that’s connected to the other concept we learned.’ [I love] to see the actual click in their brain as we make these connections.

What is something that teaching has taught you?

I mostly teach biology, so I always tell the students I have learned more biology being a teacher than being a biology major in college. The second thing that comes to mind is patience. I have learned the power of patience and how to be patient in all different types of situations.

What made you want to be a teacher?

My first job out of college was as a lab technician at the University of Richmond. I enjoyed the science, but I really enjoyed teaching the undergrads. That’s where it clicked for me.

My first full-time job was at TC Williams [High School] in Alexandria [Virginia]. A bio teacher position. My first year was really hard. I was working 12- to 14-hour days. But I would still have those moments of, ‘Oh, this is so fun.’ I still remember one activity. We were learning genetics and making marshmallows out of the genes. I remember one student saying, ‘That was so fun.’ I said, ‘I could cry.’ It’s worth it.

Sue Ann Salimbene (Provided)

Appreciating Sue Ann Salimbene
Seneca Academy, Darnestown (Preschool- Extended Day 4s)

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

The thing I enjoy most about the children is when they discover something on their own. It kind of happens naturally. The lesson goes where the [child’s] interest lies. A teacher is kind of like a facilitator.

What is something that teaching has taught you?

To be flexible. To take joy in the moment you’re in. Children have a remarkable ability to be in the moment that adults sometimes forget. As a teacher, you’re thinking, ‘Oh, it’s going to go this way.’ And they have a way of looking at it in a totally different way, and you say, ‘Wow, I never thought about that before. You’re right!’

What made you want to be a teacher?

When I was a little girl playing dress up, I was always the teacher. I liked helping people.

Lisa Pawley (Provided)

Appreciating Lisa Pawley
Oneness-Family Montessori School, Chevy Chase (Preschool – Ages 2 and 3)

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

I have always enjoyed interacting with young people. It is amazing to witness the expansion of their minds as they learn and discover new things.

What is something that teaching has taught you?

Teaching has taught me that I always need to be flexibly minded. As teachers, we spend so much time planning lessons and communicating concepts. While this is necessary and crucial to learning, we also need to be able to pause and be prepared to tackle concepts that come up spontaneously. Some of the most beautiful learning moments that I have witnessed have organically grown out of the lessons presented.

What made you want to be a teacher?

It began with one of my own children. I observed my eldest child in preschool at 3, and how she was challenged with a particular classroom structure. When we moved her to a Montessori school a few weeks into the school year, it was immediately evident how she connected with the kinesthetic nature of the learning environment. At the time, I was teaching dance and directly related to many aspects of Montessori education. Concepts such as developing independence, working with materials built from natural materials and a structured but free exploratory environment all inspired me.

Sara Hawkins (Provided)

Appreciating Sara Hawkins
The Lab School of Washington, Washington, DC., (Grades 5-8)

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

I grew up learning differently than the other students in my classes. I struggled in spaces and with teachers who only had one answer in mind. I thrived in environments and with teachers that gave me an opportunity to express my understanding of what we were learning in multiple ways, where there wasn’t just one “right” answer: I could write a paper, create an artwork, verbally explain what I understood and knew.

The Lab School allows me to differentiate in my teaching to reach my students with dyslexia, ADHD and other language based learning differences in a way that is meaningful to them. One of my favorite experiences at Lab has been creating a museum exhibit with my middle school students in the Museum Club each school year.

What is something that teaching has taught you?

I have learned to be curious rather than judgmental. I find myself asking more questions to understand the reason why a student reacted or behaved in a certain way rather than jumping to a conclusion. I have learned how to have restorative conversations with my students; how to use hand gestures, facial expressions and [utilize] speech intonations to allow more connection and increase engagement; to be mindful of my blind spots and how to teach a culturally responsive/relevant class encouraging research into multiple viewpoints.

What made you want to be a teacher?

I was pretty negatively affected in my early education by some teachers who seemed to only focus on what I couldn’t do. Meanwhile, teachers and coaches along the way who saw my potential, who cared about me, who saw me and who valued my special abilities
were the ones who changed my trajectory as they made me feel able and even gifted. I wanted to be THOSE teachers for other kids like me.

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