A career journalist for two decades, Ken L. Spear made the switch from the newsroom to the classroom some 12 years ago. He believes he's answered his true calling.

"I hated school, but I loved learning," says the teacher, who specialized in writing about issues and trends in K-16 education as an enterprising reporter covering traditional, magnet, private and parochial schools.

Realizing the nation's laser focus on standardized testing in public schools and its traditional agrarian schedule, Mr. Spear embraced the notion that as a classroom teacher he would have to do something radically different to reach today's generation.

Accommodating different learning styles. Integrating technology into instruction. Incorporating real-life skills. Those are some of the approaches the educator, who Montgomery Public Schools named 2013 Secondary Teacher of the Year, uses to facilitate teaching and learning experiences.

"It's not enough to have students regurgitating facts and figures or using too much instructional time preparing for state-administered tests," Mr. Spear says. "The skills of creativity and creative problem solving are needed more than ever for this ever-changing world evolving with technological advances."

The challenges to overcome, though, range from a generation being conditioned to test preparation, having curriculum spoon fed as opposed to being pushed to take ownership of instruction, and concentrating on making the grade instead of reaping the benefits of learning.

English-Language Arts Lead Learner | Journalism Teacher/Advisor | Instructor of TV Production: Writing, Producing & Performing | Speech & Debate Teacher | Film Club Advisor | Mentor Teacher | Presenter/Trainer