Throughout our school career, we encounter many teachers who inspire us every day in each and  every way. The teacher for the month of May is Barbara Nealon.

Nealon has been a teacher at Susquehannock for 18 years now, and she still looks to push and inspire her students every day. Nealon is receiving recognition for teacher of the month because of her cunning teaching style and amazing personality. From her environment jokes to her common knowledge of the world around us, Nealon’s biggest teaching technique is simply telling kids to ask questions and figure out the answers.

Nealon shares why her teaching techniques influence her students.

“I teach my students to get involved in the lesson and to find a way that works for you and stick to it. The students teach me just as much as I teach them,” Nealon said.

A Penn State graduate, Nealon chose to stay local when she started teaching at Dover High School, where she taught children with dyslexia for three years before coming to Susquehannock. Her teaching style works with all students no matter the differences among them. Since Nealon specializes in science and the environment, she teaches her kids to “love the world around you; don’t be afraid of it.” Teaching kids to ask and figure out really helps her students understand what’s going on instead of her sitting there lecturing them. Her students actually interact in her lessons more when they figure out the answers and have that “light bulb moment,” as Nealon would say. Nealon also received the Philidelphia University Centennial Educators Award in the summer of ’15. 

Nealon sat down and shared her love for teaching

“I love my job. Nothing is better than helping kids. It’s about figuring things out. I just love to watch my students succeed,” Nealon said.

Teaching science could be a tough subject to deal with as a student,  but Nealon mainly focuses on improving her students time management and making sure everyone takes notes with her well-known post-it policy. She always teaches her students to be skeptical about life and to always ask questions.

Nealon teaches many lessons, but she will always have one favorite.

“The HIV lesson. Teaching the kids all the pieces of it. Understanding the process, the impacts on people and science, and the history, it’s just so much to learn,” Nealon said.

The humor Nealon brings and the enthusiasm she has for her job shows students every day why she deserves this recognition. Thank you, Mrs. Nealon.