Melissa Bartlett

2003 National Teacher of the Year Finalist
2003 North Carolina Teacher of the Year
Statesville High School
Statesville, North Carolina
Language Arts/ESL: Grades 9-12

Current Position: Executive Director, 21st Century Learning

If there were ever a teacher that epitomized the concept of using student-based input in the classroom, Melissa Bartlett would be that teacher. Nearly every aspect of her teaching revolves around input from her students, including setting class rules, creating lesson plans, and even grading. Bartlett believes that incorporating students into virtually every decision-making process helps them build self-confidence, establishes critical relationships, and provides for unparalleled ownership in their own learning. Bartlett received her Bachelor’s Degree in English from Old Dominion University and her Master’s Degree in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) from the American University in Cairo, Egypt. She has also earned National Board Certification in Early Adolescent Language Arts and has taught all over the world, including stints in Cairo, Egypt, in Lamu, Kenya, and in the U.S. Virgin Islands. She currently sits on the North Carolina State Board of Education where she serves as a Member-at-Large. She resides in Hickory, North Carolina, with her husband, Walter, and their two sons, Andrew and Matthew.

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"My entire career I have used a technique that I've often been criticized for, but that I have found to be extremely effective. It involves the first week of school, which is so important. I don't teach any of the standard course of study that first week of school. Instead, I have my students create interview questions and interview each other. They then present that person to the class and we videotape it. It's a fun activity, but my real modus operandi is to get to know these kids, and for them to get to know each other, so that we build community. I believe that you must build that community before you can successfully move on to academics. I agree with the Gates Foundation about it being all about Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships, but with a different order of importance. Relationships should come first, then you teach the relevant subject material that matters to them in real life, and only then, once you know them and know their world, do you introduce the rigor and get some major work out of them."