Talks With Teachers

      Josh Parker English teacher -- Baltimore, Maryland 2012 Maryland Teacher of the Year    Segment I – Background and Inspiration   Tell your story. Where are you from and how long have you been teaching? What classes have you taught?  – Joshua initially wanted to be a professional basketball player despite coming from a family of teachers. He worked in sports but did not find it fulfilling. He ended up substitute teaching and then decided to go back to school to obtain his teaching certification. He has been teaching in various capacities in Baltimore since and was named the 2012 Maryland Teacher of the Year.    Who has helped you in your journey to become a master teacher?  – 3 people 1. His department chair -- Mandy Shanks 2. his principal  3. Dr Alfred Tatum who writes a lot of books about teaching African-American males how to read.  It is important for other teachers to know that we all have had setbacks in the classroom. Identify an instance in which you struggled as a teacher and explain what you l