Teacher of the Year 2021: Ms. Doyle

Ms. Doyle of the social studies department was named the 2021 Teacher of the Year by H. Frank Carey High School students. Being named Teacher of the Year is a tremendous honor; this award is given to those whose students genuinely care about and look up to them. Being named Teacher of the Year means that you have made a genuine difference in the lives of your students. Ms. Doyle is a highly engaging and dedicated teacher who students have admired and looked up to for many years. She works in the social studies department and teaches a variety of interesting classes such as AP World History, Global History, and AP European History. When I reached out to Ms. Doyle to get insight into how she is feeling after receiving this award, this is what she had to say.

What were your initial thoughts when you heard you were voted teacher of the year?

• “My first thought was ‘Oh gosh, there’s going to be a giant picture of me right in the entrance of the school!’ Just kidding, that wasn’t exactly my first thought. When Mr. Fiore came into my classroom to announce I was teacher of the year, I was very honored. I remember my first year at Carey during our opening day ceremonies watching the Teacher of the Year videos. I thought it was such a cool thing to honor teachers like that and I wondered if it would ever be me up there. Over the years, there’ve been some people I really respect and admire who’ve been named Teacher of the Year and it’s very nice to be recognized on the same level as them.”

What is your favorite thing about teaching?

• “My favorite thing about teaching is that it’s never boring. I laugh at some point everyday. I get to interact with students from all different backgrounds with diverse personalities. I’m always learning and it’s the best when the students teach me new things. Also I get to talk about history all day which is my favorite thing to do!”

Why do you think you were voted Teacher of the Year?

• “I think I was voted Teacher of the Year because I work really hard and I’m always trying to be better. I have taken on the challenge of teaching two rigorous AP courses. I’m always trying to update things to make my lessons better and make the material easier to understand, while at the same time preparing students for the AP and Regents exams. The best compliment I can get from a student is for them to say that my class wasn’t easy but they learned a lot and they felt prepared walking into their exams.”