DAPHNE, Ala. — Daphne Middle School announced Teresa Surrey as its 2010-2011 Teacher of the Year.

The faculty and staff chose Surrey, who has been teaching eighth-grade world history at the school for 17 years. Surrey is a lifelong Robertsdale resident who graduated from the University of South Alabama with a master’s degree in education.

She serves as Daphne Middle’s faculty sponsor of the Scholar Bowl, an academically oriented team of students; the group competes against other schools in the county.

“Ms. Surrey is dedicated to her students in a variety of ways both in the classroom and outside in extracurricular matters,” Daphne Middle School Principal Tripp Oliphant said. “She’s a standard of learning with instruction that includes special projects and things that are fun for the students.”

“You’ve got to love it,” Surrey said about her job. “The kids responding to you makes all the difference in the world … It’s job satisfaction. I enjoy my job, and I love coming to work every day.”

The Bulletin reporter sat down with Surrey and asked her about some of her thoughts and experiences in and out of the classroom.

Q: What is your favorite part about being a teacher?

A: My favorite part is that I get to tell the kids the rest of the story. This is what is in (the student’s) textbook, but let me tell the rest of the story. To me, that is what makes history interesting.

Q: Are there any teaching methods that you use specific to your teaching style?

A: When I first became teacher, the major push was teaching across the curriculum. So, I try to coordinate with (other teachers) so that we can do some things that coordinate together throughout the year.

Q: Is history your favorite subject?

A: I’ve taught English and literature, and I like history the best.

Q: Are there any other grade levels you want to teach?

A: Eighth grade is my favorite. I’ve taught sixth grade, seventh grade and eighth grade. They’ve matured more. They’re more interested in the world, and I can see some of the connections that sixth- and seventh-graders don’t get because they’re not cognitive or quite there yet.

Q: What it is like to watch your students’ progress after eighth grade and head to high school?

A: I’m always concerned about my students. I try to help them and teach them strategies that they could use in high school, how to outline their text, how to take notes and summarize. That’s important to me that I help them use strategies.

I love it when I go to the basketball games and I see some of my former students and they tell me how they’re doing. And it’s really nice at the end of the year when I get some of those special notes from students that tell me, ‘I’m really sorry you had to put up with me. I enjoyed your class a lot.’

Q: What is the hardest thing about being a teacher?

A: Sometimes you feel that you just can’t get through to the kids. You want to help them and it’s on your heart to help them and you just sometimes feel that you’re not making that difference … You have the slackers who don’t want to do anything, and you have the ones who have something going on in their life that can’t focus and get things done.

Q: How much time do you spend on your job per day outside the classroom?

A: …. I would say at least one to two hours per day after the kids leave …. I bring stuff home with me every day. I don’t always get to it but I take stuff home every day. Kids don’t understand that when I give them work it gives me more work, too.

Q: Do you feel like there has been a movement or shift in the past few years to give teachers more recognition and respect for their hard work? Has it reached where it needs to be?

A: I feel like the teachers do get recognition and respect in the community. In individual parent cases, maybe not so much. But in the community, I do feel they get the respect.

Q: How much do you enjoy June and July, along with Christmas break?

A: I love them, because I have a family myself. That’s always a time to spend with my family. Growing up, my sons could not understand why people had to go to work on holidays. He thought everyone should get off since the teachers were all off. It’s great for raising a family.