The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Teacher earns statewide award
When Perry School District teachers returned for the start of the 201819 academic year, many of them probably had stories to share about the interesting places they visited or things they did during the summer break.
But Perry Middle School science teacher Blanche Davidson could tell about a happening that was probably a bit different than what most of her colleagues experienced. Because one thing Davidson did on her summer vacation was win a statewide teaching award.
Davidson earned the 2018 Squadron Leader of Excellence Award from the Ohio affiliate of the Invention League, a nonprofit organization that offers educational support to teachers and state invention competitions for students.
The Invention League provides its Invention Convention curriculum and other resources to school districts through a district-appointed educator it refers to as a Squadron Leader.
“A Squadron Leader’s role is to act as a liaison between the schools, teachers, students, parents and the Invention League,” the organization states on its website.
Since Davidson serves in that capacity for Perry Schools, she became eligible for the annual award. But how she was selected for the award took her by surprise.
“That was something that parents and students nominated me for,” Davidson said, adding she had no idea that people were working behind the scenes to promote her as a candidate for the award.
Davidson explained that the Invention League has a website with links for teachers and students who are using Invention Convention curriculum. Since Davidson also wanted to keep parents of her students informed about the Invention League, she emailed them with a specific link for the organization’s website.
It wasn’t until later, when the Invention League notified Davidson that she was chosen as 2018 Squadron Leader of Excellence, that she realized what happened.
“On the parents’ link on the Invention League website, that’s where you can nominate a teacher for the award,” Davidson said.
In regard to nominations for Squadron Leader of Excellence, the website states. “We ask students, parents, teachers, principals, anyone to nominate an Invention Convention educator worthy of the Squadron Leader of Excellence title. Do you know about a great educator in your life that has inspired, uplifted, motivated and led by example, in order to positively impact students?”
The Invention League named Davidson as the award winner from a field of about 18 teachers, who received a total of approximately 40 nominations, said Juli Shively, Invention League director of operations and education.
“We extend this opportunity/contest to any Invention Convention educator in the state of Ohio, which can mean many hundreds of participating teachers,” Shively said.
Five nominations were submitted on behalf of Davidson. Some of the nominators’ comments included:
• “Mrs. Davidson goes above and beyond in her class to motivate her students, she provides the best materials and tools for her students to use through grants and other means. Her students look forward to the opportunities she provides in being involved in competitions. Mrs. Davidson makes learning fun, by making it accessible.”
• “She is a positive role model and takes so much time with her students — listening to their concerns/needs and supporting them no matter what!”
• “Mrs. Davidson has gone above and beyond in teaching (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). She went through the trouble of writing a grant for her students, which she will put towards the trifold boards for student presentations rather than having families buy the expensive boards on their own. It’s clearly evident that she cares about students. Students don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
Davidson, who has taught at Perry Schools for six years, said she was flattered and astounded by the efforts to nominate her for the award.
“The surprise was that students and parents had submitted anything on my behalf,” she said. “I guess when you love what you do, it shows.”
The Invention Convention process for student inventors involves seeking out a problem; finding a solution; designing a prototype, building and creating; testing, redesigning and summarizing; and entrepreneurship — what it takes to bring a product to market. Students also keep journals on their efforts.
In one of Davidson’s current science classes at Perry Middle School, seventh-graders are working on inventing solar-powered cars as well as wind turbines.
One of the challenges facing student inventors is to do something over and over again until the desired outcome is reached, said Davidson, who teaches science to fifth- through eighth-graders at Perry Middle School.
“They’re so frustrated — ‘It doesn’t work, it doesn’t work,’” she said, describing how students often react when initiatives start going badly. “And then they start thinking about it, and they come up with something at the end. It’s really glorious. It’s a glorious moment for them because they persevered.”
Davidson was announced as the winner at the Invention Convention’s 2018 Ohio Invention and Entrepreneurship Competition State Final. The event was held July 29 at the Ohio State Fair in Columbus.
Although Davidson couldn’t attend the ceremony because of personal circumstances, seven Perry students who went to the Invention Convention State Finals with their families accepted the award for her. Davidson received prizes that included an Invention League trophy, a $50 class pizza party, and various gifts from AT&T, ThirtyOne and McGraw Hill Education.
“It’s just cool — cool to be recognized,” she said.