JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As a student, Caitlyn Stetson was not exactly the kind you would have predicted would teach math. That may be the reason she is so good at teaching the subject.
“I have a passion for science. Math is something I’ve come to have a passion for. I hated it in school, so I know how that happens,” Stetson, a finalist for Duval County Teacher of the Year said. “I really work to make science and math something engaging for them.”
As a woman, she is particularly aware of how her fifth-grade girls engage with math and science at Reynolds Lane Elementary School.
“It’s not just a subject for boys,” Stetson said. “Sometimes my girls are the highest scorers. They love to get their hands in on a lab and get dirty sometimes.”
Since her students are preparing for middle school next year, Stetson teaches more than just the subjects in the textbooks.
“I work really hard to teach them independence. They’re not going to have recess I middle school,” Stetson said. “Teaching them good moral character, so when they face all that pressure in middle school (they’re prepared).”
Stetson is one of five finalists for the Duval County Teacher of the Year. The 2017 EDDY Awards will take place Feb. 24 at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront, emceed by retired Jacksonville Jaguars Cornerback Rashean Mathis and a Duval County Public Schools student. Tickets to the EDDY Awards can be purchased at eddyawardsjax.org for $75 per person.