Central Cabarrus teacher racks up awards doing something she loves – Independent Tribune

CONCORD- Lori Treiber said she doesnt teach for the awards, but she racked them up this year.

Also voted the Teacher of the Year for Central Cabarrus High School, Treiber was recently notified that she won North Carolinas 2017 Outstanding Biology Teacher Award. Each year the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) selects a teacher from each state to win this award.

Its been a whirlwind, Treiber said. I was surprised. A colleague of mine had nominated me back in 2004 when I was teaching in Charlotte- Meck, but I didnt win then so I was surprised this time and very happy. But I dont teach for awards, I teach for my students.

This time around, Treiber was nominated by another colleague. She was required to submit four testimony letters from the principal, a parent, a student and a colleague. Then she had to video herself doing a lesson and provide the awards committee her philosophy on teaching.

When all of that was said and done, Treiber came out as the winner this year.

She will be honored during the upcoming North Carolina Teachers Association (NCSTA) conference in Greensboro in October and the NABT conference held in St. Louis, Missouri in November.

Treiber has been teaching for 30 years, and has spent the last five of those at Central Cabarrus teaching biology to tenth-grade students and AP biology.

She attended Appalachian State University where she decided to major in education to teach biology.

I wanted to be a teacher, I just didnt know what I wanted to teach, she said. I liked biology, I liked science and I knew science jobs will always be out there for teachers. I would always have a job in science.

Treiber was attracted to biology because its all about people.

Its all about you. Its about your environment. Its about the world around you, she said. What a great subject to be able to teach.

Teaching life skills and science

According to Treiber, Central Cabarrus has a family atmosphere. She said the teachers always help each other and are all there for one goal; for their students to learn, to become better citizens and be ready for the real world.

Her main goal is to develop good relationships with her students. She said she wants them to feel save, to trust and be better people.

With all of the fun ways biology can be taught, she added that she doesnt want her students to just sit and listen to her talk.

In fact, she doesnt talk much anymore because she flipped her classes.

In a traditional classroom you listen to the teacher talk, lecture and you go home and apply it, and if you have any questions you are on your own, Treiber said. So I flipped it and now they listen to my lectures at home in their pajamas and answer questions. So they are being introduced to the material at home and when they come in we apply it. So now if they have questions as we are applying it, they can get their questions answered.

She uses labs and different activities to give her students those hands-on experiences.

My job, I think, is to teach biology but its also to teach responsibility and integrity and collaboration; all the skills you need to be successful in the world, Treiber said. So I dont just teach biology. I use biology to teach those life skills to help them be successful.

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Central Cabarrus teacher racks up awards doing something she loves - Independent Tribune