Steve Badyna was selected as this year’s Killough campus teacher of the year. We sat down with him and asked a few questions on his teaching and how he feels about the award. Check back tomorrow to see the Harmon campus teacher of the year.

Q: How long have you been teaching?

A: I am currently in my 15th year of teaching.

Q: What subject do you teach?

A: Right now I teach world geography.  I taught world history for 10 years and also taught government and U.S. history at one time or another.

Q: What made you want to start teaching?

A: My decision to become a teacher was heavily influenced by my mom who was a teacher for 25 years and my 9th grade English teacher and soccer coach Malcolm Dickinson. Most of all I think growing up in a military town instilled in me a need to serve and give back to my community in some manner. After serving my country in the Marine Corps, it was logical to continuing serving through teaching.

Q: Why did you choose to teach high school?

A: I love the content I teach, social studies. Whether it is history, geography, or government I feel passionate about those subjects. High school, I guess I just wanted an audience that could appreciate the content and its relevancy more than younger students might. Also, older kids understand my jokes better.

Q: Who was your favorite teacher when you were growing up?

A: As I stated earlier, Malcolm Dickinson, my 9th grade English teacher and soccer coach was my favorite teacher. He was always full of energy and never seemed to have a bad day. He made it a point to share much of his life experiences with us during class and I quickly saw him as more of person than just another teacher.

Q: What is your favorite part about teaching?

A: One thing about teaching is that it is something new every day. I really enjoy the new challenges each day brings. Ultimately though, my favorite part about teaching is knowing that we, teachers, make a difference in the lives of young people. Sometimes it takes time to see the impact we make, but when students write letters telling you how much they appreciate you, jot a few words of thanks in a card, or stop by a couple of years after they leave to say thanks, that makes everything we do worth it and keeps me coming back for more.

Q: What college did you attend?

A: Well I had several swims through a few different colleges. Some poor choices resulted in me leaving Texas A&M much sooner than I wanted to.  I earned some credits at my hometown junior college, Central Texas College. Finally, once I matured and became much more focused, I earned my Bachelor of Arts in Social Studies Education degree from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Okla.

Q: How do you feel about winning the award?

A: At first I had mixed emotions about winning such a prestigious honor. I am not really the type of person who seeks recognition for the work I do.  I thought, there are so many teachers more deserving than myself of this award. Eventually, I have accepted the fact that my administrators, fellow teachers, and my students see something in me that is special and that I am a good teacher. The entire process of becoming teacher of the year has reinvigorated me and made me more determined to continue to push myself to be an even better teacher.

Q: What challenges have you faced while teaching?

A: Challenges, hmmm. My biggest challenge is staying on task in the classroom. I can be in the middle of a lesson, but then something happens that reminds me of a personal story and I have to share it with my students. Although the students love this because it is a break from having to do school work, it does take up some time and puts me a little behind schedule from time to time. These moments are important for me though because like Coach Dickinson did for me when I was a 9th grader, these stories allow students an opportunity to see you more as a person rather than just a teacher. I think this process allows for a better working relationship between me and my students.

Q: What do you hope to teach your students?

A: Of course I want to teach my students the content, but more importantly I just want my students to learn the basic life skills they will need to be successful in life. Taking personal responsibility for one’s actions, critical thinking skills, problem solving, politeness, working well with others, communicating properly, and having a personal drive and initiative are the foundational skills I want my students to walk away with.

Q: What have your students taught you?

A: I don’t think this award would have been possible had I not learned some things along the way from many people, including my students. Meeting students, working with them five days a week, sharing in their accomplishments and failures, and getting to know them on personal levels has taught me that although we all come from different backgrounds and cultures, we all really want the same things in life, that people are good, and that when we work together we can accomplish the goals we set for ourselves.