Teaching is a line of work that separates itself from others by having a direct effect on the youth of our country on a daily basis.
Good teachers supply their students with the tools to learn an entire curriculum in less than nine months. Great teachers are able to create a relationship with their students in a way that molds them into minds destined for success after they are released from their classroom.
Over his 12-year career with Seneca High School, Keith Styers has been able to establish himself as a great teacher and was recently recognized for this by receiving the teacher of the year award for 2015.
Styers, the marching band director at the high school, considers himself lucky to teach a class that is not considered a core course of the curriculum, so the students who enroll are not doing it because they are being forced to.
“I’m fortunate to teach students that want to be in my class,” Styers said. “It’s not like English or algebra; it’s a privilege to teach a group that wants to learn what you’re teaching.”
Styers prides himself on staying heavily involved in his lessons by constantly creating music on a daily basis. In addition to being the marching band director, he also runs the concert band and the jazz band.
Stylers met his colleague Doug Barber at Shawnee High School, where he graduated in 1997. Barber was the band director at Shawnee when Styers was a student. He was able to help Styers get involved at Seneca after he graduated from West Chester University where he played piano.
“Percussion is my main instrument now, but I’ve been playing music since I was in kindergarten,” Styers said. “I’m a lifelong.”
Styers credited his father who was also a music major in college for his musical talents.
Styers now runs the Seneca band in a unique way that not only enhances students’ musical skills but also allows them to grow in other areas.
“Like most sports, we have our high-scoring years and our low-scoring years,” Styers said. “But for me, it’s about the journey and what the students learn as they go through the program.”
While the Golden Eagles Marching Band practices and competes in a similar fashion to sports teams, Styers attempts to schedule practices and events to allow students to be a part of other clubs. He places a specific emphasis on getting involved with something outside of academics.
“All of my students have a skill, whether it’s being able to play an instrument well or being able to sing well. Whatever it is you are good at, utilize that to the best of your ability,” Styers preaches to his students.
Being the band director and so heavily involved in music at the high school, Styers is in a very visible role, and his colleagues recognized this when they nominated him for the award.
“It’s all very humbling. I’ve never looked at myself at as a teacher of the year candidate or anything of that nature. That’s just the way it kind of happened. I just do my job,” Styers said.
He considers the teachers at Seneca to be some of the best in education, so to be honored among that group has been a special experience for Styers.
Being selected as teacher of the year at his high school has catapulted Styers as a nominee for a district, county or even statewide award. He will now focus on working on an application that will enable him to be a candidate for these next level of awards.
