Bluestone's Teacher of the Year never thought he'd be a teacher
By Jane-Clare Elliott
Yet Teacher of the Year he is, voted as such by his peers for the 2018-2019 school year.
“It’s really rewarding to be chosen as (Teacher of the Year), I think mainly because I never saw myself doing it,” Kirkland said. “To be recognized like this is a big inspiration to continue on.”
Kirkland began his studies at James Madison University in law for two years, then he changed his mind and ended up graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English.
The Class of 2005 Bluestone graduate eventually found his way back home to Skipwith, first as a photojournalism teacher and then as an English teacher. He is very glad he did.
At the heart of Kirkland’s teaching strategy is to connect with each of his students, which is part of what makes him stand out as an amazing teacher. He said that his favorite part of the job is the students.
“Everybody has a story, and they’re really funny,” Kirkland said of his students. “I have met some of the funniest people over the last 10 years of teaching. They keep me thinking too, because everybody’s so different, so it’s a challenge to me to get to know them but also be a positive influence on them.”
With receiving the award of Teacher of the Year, Kirkland had many thanks to give - Bluestone Principal Dr. Darnell Carter, fellow teachers, all of his students from over the years, and his first teacher friends who helped mentor him in the beginning. Kirkland said all these people and others helped him get to where he is today.
Kirkland began his studies at James Madison University in law for two years, then he changed his mind and ended up graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English.
The Class of 2005 Bluestone graduate eventually found his way back home to Skipwith, first as a photojournalism teacher and then as an English teacher. He is very glad he did.
At the heart of Kirkland’s teaching strategy is to connect with each of his students, which is part of what makes him stand out as an amazing teacher. He said that his favorite part of the job is the students.
“Everybody has a story, and they’re really funny,” Kirkland said of his students. “I have met some of the funniest people over the last 10 years of teaching. They keep me thinking too, because everybody’s so different, so it’s a challenge to me to get to know them but also be a positive influence on them.”
With receiving the award of Teacher of the Year, Kirkland had many thanks to give - Bluestone Principal Dr. Darnell Carter, fellow teachers, all of his students from over the years, and his first teacher friends who helped mentor him in the beginning. Kirkland said all these people and others helped him get to where he is today.
Pictured: Bluestone High School 2018-19 Teacher of the Year Justin Kirkland guides a sophomore English class through a Socratic seminar during the first semester.
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