Every year, students vote on their favorite teachers for Educator of the Year. This year, English teacher Sherri Woosley was given this incredible honor by the John Carroll student body.
Mrs. Woosley is well-known among students and faculty. She is known for her goat yoga, cheery demeanor, and passion for teaching.
The Educator of the Year was announced as Mrs. Woosley at the assembly held on May 9.
She received a plaque and flowers, and during the 2025-2026 school year, she will be able to park in a special assigned parking space just for her.
Even though she earned these gifts, her favorite part about being Educator of the Year is “hearing my AP students point out rhetorical choices I used in my speech,” said Mrs. Woosley.
To be Educator of the Year, for her, means that “I am connecting with students the same way students are connecting with me.”
Mrs. Woosley did not always know she wanted to be a teacher. Originally, she wanted to work in the Science and Health field. She knew she wanted to be a teacher while in graduate school, where she taught undergraduate classes to pay for her tuition.
She said, “I had the experience, and I enjoyed it very much. After COVID, I felt like the world was changing, and I wanted to do something to contribute to getting back to something better.”
Receiving Educator of the Year is a surreal experience for many, but it was especially surreal for Mrs. Woosley. It was so surreal, she didn’t believe she received it at first.
She said, “My initial reaction was that I didn’t believe it. Dr. Davidson told me, but I had to wait for Mrs. Hall before I knew it was real. I thought he was teasing me.”
Mrs. Woosley has twins who attend JC, juniors Sylvia and Evelyn. She teaches both twins this year in her AP Language and Composition class.
Her favorite moment of teaching is “teaching my daughters English and sharing the books with them. It’s like a fun little book club where I get to see them improve.”
Sylvia and Evelyn are also thankful for the opportunity to be taught by their mother. Evelyn said, “To have her as a teacher has been so much fun and has been eye-opening to see how she teaches. Since she’s been such a big influence on my writing, it was really fun to have an actual class where she teaches me, and I’ve been able to develop my skills.”
It was no surprise to the twins that their mom was given this honor, especially after experiencing her firsthand as a teacher.
Sylvia believes her mother won the award because “she is a great teacher and connects with her students. She works hard to make her lessons fun and engaging. Also, if she needs to, she responds to what her students are saying and changes lesson plans accordingly. She is very cognizant of students’ needs.”
There are many ways to celebrate Educator of the Year. Evelyn plans to celebrate her mom’s award by, “being sure I am being cognizant of how smart and how hard she works, and make sure to work hard so that she can have the easiest life possible.”
If Mrs. Woosley could give her students one message, it would be to “remember that they get to decide how their experiences will shape their future.”