Mrs. Barvel Riley, a Master’s student in Reading at the Barry University cohort in Broward County, was selected as the 2011 Teacher of the Year at the Glades Middle School in Miramar, Florida. She is a teacher for Sixth Grade World History.
Mrs. Riley was honored in a Teacher of the Year parade on May 6, 2011 at Glades Middle School and was awarded the Gold Star Teacher of the Year 2011 during the May 10, 2011 membership breakfast meeting of the Miramar Pembroke Pines Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Mrs. Riley’s deep commitment to teaching is reflected in her statement about receiving this award: “To teach is to touch a life forever”.
Since August, 2005, Mrs. Riley has been teaching at the Glades Middle School and previously had been both a teacher and an assistant principal in Jamaica. She has been recognized twice as the Outstanding Social Studies Teacher of the Year at the Glades Middle School and received the Distinguished Past Student Award for achieving excellence in the field of education from Meadowbrook High School, Jamaica.
The selection criteria for the Teacher of the Year award recognizes teachers who encourage excellence in education, leadership, in-depth knowledge of the content area, contributing to new instructional materials, engaging both students and families in the educational process, and community involvement.
Among her many accomplishments, Mrs. Riley has facilitated staff development training in the Social Studies Department with technology through Compass Learning, Differentiated Instruction, and Promethean Slate. She has supported improved communication with students and parents through building class Web sites using Google “Sites” and enhanced instructional delivery through a combination of software, rubrics, computers, and Web resources.
As a contributor to the community, Mrs. Riley is the Broward County History Fair Coordinator and was the Secretary of the Geography Teachers Association in Jamaica.