Archdiocesan Elementary School Teacher of the Year finds joy in the classroom 

Emma Ward is filled with joy to share that she laughs every single day when she’s teaching her first-graders at St. Joseph School in Cockeysville.

“I’m really lucky to feel that way about my job,” said Ward, the 2024 Archdiocesan Elementary School Teacher of the Year. “I get to do it. It’s not that I have to do it. I get to help children grow in their faith and knowledge and build positive relationships with families and students.”

Ward has been teaching for the Archdiocese of Baltimore for four years, the last two at St. Joseph. She obtained her early childhood education degree from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and just recently obtained her master’s degree in educational leadership from Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore.

A lifetime parishioner of St. John the Evangelist in Hydes, Ward said it was a distinct choice for her to teach at a Catholic school.

“I have such an opportunity to shape the whole child by teaching in a Catholic school,” she said. “I just have such a good time in the classroom, and I look forward to coming to school every single day.”

Her secret to reaching her students and helping them enjoy learning is just part of a routine day, she explained. She keeps them moving.

“There has to be movement,” Ward said. “That can be singing or dancing to learn the topics. Little bodies cannot sit at a desk all day long. They need to be up and moving and doing hands-on activities.”

Her classroom is full of learning stations for the children to rotate through, and some of them include Play-doh and watercolors.

“It’s important for them to be physically engaged in the activity as well,” she said, “so their minds and their bodies are moving throughout the learning process.”

One of the most satisfying moments Ward has experienced is the partnership with the parents.

“Just working with families in general, when I help them better understand ways to support their child’s learning,” she said. “That’s such a satisfying part of my career.”

The other joy she experiences is the “aha” moment after a student has struggled to understand something.

“I love seeing that because the joy shows in their face,” she said, “and they just get so excited.”

Maggie Bellamy, principal of St. Joseph, finds a distinctiveness in Ward’s teaching methods.

“It’s her desire and passion for the students,” Bellamy said. “She works tirelessly with her team and the parents to create a learning environment that supports and challenges the learning of her students.”

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