Teacher surprised with award
High school teacher surprised with Citadel Heart of Learning honor
PHOENIXVILLE >> Dedication and hard work are two things to be admired, especially when it comes to education.
Those attributes were recognized in a Phoenixville High School math teacher who was honored with the Citadel Heart of Learning Award.
Phoenixville Area High School students gathered in the middle school auditorium Wednesday to celebrate Seth McNaughton, one of the finalists nominated for the award aimed at recognizing outstanding teachers. The assembly was a surprise to both the students and McNaughton, who was excited to find out that not only was he chosen as a finalist, but former Philadelphia Eagles running back Brian Westbrook would be presenting McNaughton with the award.
“Students have said that he cares more about the students than anything. He stays after school and helps the students every single day and allows themto truly understand the material. This teacher goes far above the expected role as a teacher,” Westbrook said as he read part of McNaughton’s nomination. “He has left a mark on me that will never, ever fade. When a student in his class suffered an injury, this teacher went to her house each week to help her stay on top of her class work.”
The award was created 16 years ago by Citadel and the Chester County Intermediate Unit to recognize, reward and thank outstanding teachers in Chester County.
Each year, Citadel receives thousands of nominations for the award. The nominations are then reviewed and narrowed to 15 finalists including one teacher from each of the 13 area public school districts, one teacher fromthe Chester County Intermediate Unit and one teacher from a non-public school in Chester County including charter and home schools.
Each of the finalists receives $500 to use in the classroom. From those finalists, three winners are selected. Winners include one high school teacher, one middle school teacher and one elementary school teacher. Each winner receives the Citadel Heart of Learning Award along with an additional $1,500 for use in the classroom.
After McNaughton was given the award, Westbrook addressed the student body to discuss the importance of education, character, dedication and sacrifice. As an example, he recalled the time when he was a freshman in high school and didn’t play a single game the whole season.
“I played nine years in the NFL, made a lot of money, enjoyed it, was an All-American in college and All-American my junior year of high school. But my freshman year in high school, I was on the freshman team and I was coming from an elementary and middle school where I was one of the best players in my area. We had 10 games and none of those 10 games did I play,” explained Westbrook.
“The coaches said I wasn’t good enough. I wasn’t fast enough, I wasn’t big enough, I wasn’t strong enough ... That off season, going into my sophomore year, I dedicated myself like no one else. I worked harder than everyone else. I got in the classroom more. I asked for more help from the teachers and the coaches. I got in the weight room more. All those other people that were out partying, hanging out with all the girls, going to themall and themovies, I didn’t do any of those things. I was focused solely on my goal, which was to play football,” he said.
Westbrook spoke to students for about an hour about the keys to success and how his own education helped him to achieve his goals and become successful. Following his address, students had the opportunity to ask questions, which ranged from, “Can you solve a Rubik’s Cube?” (Yes, he can) to, “What made you want to spread this message?”
“I think it’s important because you guys see all the bad things on TV, you see all the wrong things to do, the athletes, the singers, the rappers who are on drugs, drinking, ” he responded to the last question. “But the truth is there is a whole set of people, a much bigger set of people, that are successful without doing any of those things. That’s what I want you guys to focus on ... My purpose in all this when I talk to young people is to let them know that the key to life is education.”
McNaughton will be honored as a finalist at Citadel’s banquet on May 9.