Teachers are an essential part of our lives. They shape our minds from a young age and guide us until our graduation. Most of the time, teachers help us find our passions in multiple areas like art, music, science, math, history or even American Sign Language.
Barbara Scott-Grysavage has been an MCPS teacher for many years. She teaches American Sign Language, and she is also a special education teacher who went back to school to get a certificate in American Sign Language. When asked why she went back to school to learn sign language, she said, “We only had a couple [of] languages at his school…” She continues, “I really thought it was important to have a tactile visual language.” Grysavage also stated that, “There is a huge deaf community in this area of the country, and they deserve to communicate [with others] in their language.”
She accommodates different learning styles in the classroom by helping students with their different learning levels. She noted, “[The sign] is on the board… and if it’s a level one [student] I can voice over.”
“There are two rules in my class…” she started, “Number one, you have to put your phone up, because it is a visual language,” she continued, “Number two, you must be kind… always.” She paused and then said, “So if you don’t remember any sign language, you remember that people were kind to you here, and that you smiled and had a good time.”
By creating a space built on kindness, accessibility, and understanding, Mrs. Grysavage is doing exactly what great teachers do. Her commitment to her students and to the deaf community shows that teaching is more than a job; it is a responsibility and a passion. That is what makes her truly deserving of the Teacher of the Year nomination.
