Dionne Liebl Chosen as Putnam City’s Teacher of the Year
Putnam City West High School English teacher Dionne Liebl was named Putnam City Schools’ “Teacher of the Year” during the district’s annual celebration of teaching excellence on Feb. 26.
“I’m very humbled when I think about all the high-quality teachers at my school and the amazing teachers we have across the district. I could not be the teacher I am without the inspiration and support provided by a huge group of teachers who care so deeply about students,” Liebl said in accepting the award.
Liebl is in her sixth year of teaching in Putnam City, all at Putnam City West. It’s six years that have been a model of excellence in teaching, says Buster Meeks, Putnam City West principal.
“Dionne is an outstanding teacher. Students in her classrooms learn quickly how much she cares about them and their education. In so many ways, she exemplifies the best qualities of teachers throughout the Putnam City district,” Meeks says.
Early in her professional career, becoming a teacher wasn’t one of Liebl’s goals. She majored in criminal justice and wanted to become an administrator at a state or federal prison. Through work with adult inmates and juvenile offenders, she became aware of the power teachers have to positively impact the lives of their students.
“I learned in the most meaningful way that education is what divides those who succeed in life from those who do not. I decided I wanted to be involved in the educational process and the opportunity to guide people toward success, and the greatest opportunity to help seemed to be at the high school level,” Liebl says.
In the classroom, Liebl’s teaching approach focuses not on lectures but on student discovery. Students ask questions, analyze texts and interpret materials. They find different ways to view and solve problems. They must explain the value of the activity or lesson they are working on, giving meaning to their work and making them more invested in learning. In challenging students to discover and learn, Liebl never forgets that each student is unique.
“Teaching, guiding and mentoring a young person is an honor. Every day during our school’s moment of silence, I look out across my classroom and remind myself that each student is someone’s baby and that each student is unique in how they each student comes with his or her own set of successes and failures, and that each student will absorb what I offer as a teacher in a different way,” Liebl says.
When she’s not in the classroom, Liebl is still focused on teaching and learning. She regularly makes presentations to new teachers on topics such as classroom management, best strategies for teaching and teacher-parent communication. Professional workshops have equipped her with techniques to help struggling readers and writers and how to better involve parents of at-risk students. A trip to one of the country’s op high schools reinforced her belief in positive rather than punitive consequences. A spot on the school’s scholarship committee reminded her of the high number of good students in the school and the need to continue to talk with all students about the importance of doing well in school and taking advantage of scholarship opportunities.
Even Liebl’s activities outside the school pay dividends for students. Through volunteer work at community agencies, Liebl helps in activities that raise funds for college scholarships, safe and supervised after-prom parties, school-sponsored trips, student activities and projects helping low-income families.
For Liebl, the joy of guiding students to success is always present.
“The truly rewarding moments of teaching come when reluctant learners show glimmers of becoming lifelong learners. That happens when I see students reading newspapers or books for pleasure and not for a grade. It happens when I observe students expertly arguing a point using persuasive skills we have studied. It happens when I notice students discovering and appreciating a new perspective or a new cultural view. Those are the moments that I smile and say ‘Oh! To be a teacher!’”