The Michigan Council of Teachers of English has named Janice Rowley, teacher at Renaissance High School in Detroit, as the 2022 High School English Teacher of the Year.
Criteria for the MCTE High School English Teacher of the Year Award include the nominee being properly certified and currently teaching English Language Arts in Michigan, being a member of MCTE and the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) for at least ten years, and being a role model and an inspiration to the education community, one who demonstrates excellence in English Language Arts
education, connects learning to student interests, plans innovative learning experiences, and demonstrates a strong commitment to creating a caring and respectful climate conducive to effective teaching and learning.
MCTE’s selection committee was impressed with the quality of Rowley’s nomination materials, which included her outstanding resume and many letters of support from colleagues, administrators, and students. In the words of Deborah Jenkins, DPSCD Deputy Executive Director-Leadership, who wrote a letter of support, “Janice has extraordinary ideas and a wonderful gift for inspiring and leading people. Her professional life has had a profound impact on countless—inclusive of at-risk students, teachers un- sure of their abilities to teach, gifted/talented students and highly effective teachers.”
Upon learning of the recognition, Rowley said,
I have been doing this work in a variety of capacities for three decades. It’s not what I do. It’s literally who I am. If I’m talking, I’m teaching. If you’re listening, you’ll learn. Receiving this recognition during this time is more meaningful than it would have been at any previous time in my professional life. Teachers, the world over, are being used as pawns in a game that nets children and the future losses. It means everything that there are still people and organizations that are pushing forward. We are at the forefront of a culture war even outside of the battles in education, and I gladly accept the push to keep on fighting on behalf of our literal future. Thank you for the encouragement, we have work to do!
Rowley will be recognized at the annual Fall Conference of the Michigan Council of Teachers of English on Friday, October 14, 2022, at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center in East Lansing. Rowley will also be recognized as NCTE High School English Teacher of Excellence for the state of Michigan. She will be presented with that separate award on November 19, 2022, at the 2022 NCTE Annual Convention Secondary Section Luncheon in Anaheim, California.
Founded in 1922, the Michigan Council of Teachers of English (MCTE) is the state affiliate of the National Council of Teachers of English, an organization for K-16 English language arts teachers. MCTE provides professional development for English language arts teachers and English education professors throughout Michigan. The goals of the organization are to disseminate current English education scholarship and assist English language arts teachers as they make decisions about pedagogical practices, student populations, and teaching philosophies. Learn more about the MCTE at https://mymcte.org.