Lena Darnay, LIS MLS Alum 2007 and MSD Pike Township Teacher of the Year 2016-2017, has been selected as a Top 10 Finalist for the Indiana Teacher of the Year Award.
Lena Darnay is a District Technology Integrator for the Metropolitan School District of Pike Township and previously served as the school librarian for Pike High School in Indianapolis. She received her Master of Library Science and School Library Certification from IUPUI and holds a BS in Marketing and Business Administration from Midwestern State University. Lena’s passion for teaching stems from a long family line of hardworking educators and her love of new technology comes from her time spent on the A/V squad at Manitou Springs High School. She is an enthusiastic reader, especially of audiobooks, and is a sucker for a good zombie novel.
Asked by the Indiana Department of Education to describe a lesson or unit that defines her as a teacher, Mrs. Darnay responded,
“Authentic learning experiences and real-world application of skills is at the core of what defines me as a teacher. I love my role as teacher-librarian because of my ability to develop and assist the creation of authentic learning opportunities. I know that when students see the real-world connection of their learning, they are instantly more engaged and empowered to take their learning to deeper levels. I also like being at the heart of the school where I am able to see and facilitate connections with students, teachers, classes, and groups that might otherwise be missed.”
And when asked “What do you consider to be a major public education issue today…and how are you leading from your classroom?”, she had this to say.
“Technology is one of the biggest areas of powerful change in education. It can also be one of the most intimidating. Many of my teachers express anxiety about new technology, therefore I use my library as a support and experimentation center. When I can make the risks seem small and provide support along the way, we find that technology becomes exciting instead of scary. As an example, I recently used grant funds to purchase four PadCaster sets and new iPad Pros. We trained a few student interns and a couple of early adopter teachers and then sent them out to take them for a test-drive. They came back and showed me what they made, and I sent them back out with the charge, “What else can you do with this?” After a few days, we had teachers on a waiting list to use the new equipment, and I had students saying, “I wish I had a job like yours, Mrs. Darnay. It always looks like you’re having so much fun.”
“I use the library to push innovation and experimentation both with students and with teachers. I look for ways to change up the furniture and seating arrangements to support collaboration and flexibility. We have many classes who come to the library just because they need a change of scenery.”
Congratulations to Lena Darnay, LIS MLS Alum for this great honor!!
http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/story/36271982/teacher-of-the-year-finalists-named
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