Ohio Teacher of the Year Melissa Kmetz

Ohio Teacher of the Year Melissa Kmetz - Season 3, Episode 12

Third grade language arts teacher Melissa Kmetz will spend the next year shining the spotlight on Ohio's exceptional educators and our public schools as the 2023 Ohio Teacher of the Year. She shares her thoughts on mandatory retention under the Third Grade Reading Guarantee, the importance of truly seeing students and empowering them to be leaders, and the one big thing she would do if she could wave a magic wand over her classroom.

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Featured Education Matters guest: 

Melissa Kmetz, 2023 Ohio Teacher of the YearMelissa Kmetz is a third grade language arts teacher and Grade Level Chairperson at Lakeview Elementary School in Cortland, Ohio. She was raised in Campbell, Ohio, graduating from Campbell Memorial High School in 1999. Miss Kmetz obtained a full academic scholarship to Youngstown State University and, in 2003, graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Education (Early Childhood P-3). She began her career teaching kindergarten and then first grade in Salem, Ohio. There, she secured a Martha Holden Jennings Grant to Educators, which she used to open a literacy lending library. In 2006, she moved to Lakeview Local Schools, where she has been teaching third grade ever since! She obtained a Master’s Degree as a Reading Specialist from Youngstown State University in 2007, graduating with a 4.0 GPA and ranking in the top 1% of her graduating class. That same year, she was awarded the ETS Recognition of Excellence for scoring within the top 15% in the history of her licensure exam, the PLT K-6 Assessment. Miss Kmetz is a fierce advocate for culturally diverse curriculum, global education, and student leadership/activism. She furthered her knowledge in these areas through professional development at Harvard Graduate School of Education in Boston, taking the courses Advancing Culturally Responsive Literature Instruction and Educating Global Citizens. In 2010, she developed a Change the World Project in her school district, where for the past twelve years, Lakeview students have been activists, spearheading charity projects to benefit those in need near and abroad.Source - Ohio Department of Education

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The Ohio Education Association represents about 120,000 teachers, faculty members and support professionals who work in Ohio’s schools, colleges, and universities to help improve public education and the lives of Ohio’s children. OEA members provide professional services to benefit students, schools, and the public in virtually every position needed to run Ohio’s schools.Education Matters host Katie Olmsted serves as Media Relations Consultant for the Ohio Education Association. She joined OEA in May, 2020, after a ten-year career as a television reporter, anchor, and producer. Katie comes from a family of educators and is passionate about telling educators' stories and advocating for Ohio's students. She lives in Central Ohio with her husband and two young children.

This episode was recorded November 2, 2022.