A Trotwood-area native and Meadowdale High School graduate, Stone landed his first teaching position with Miami-Jacobs Career College upon his return to Ohio.
Stone, 43, taught at Miami-Jacobs for 11 years before his school was one of four of the college’s southwest Ohio campuses to close its doors in 2017. He then began teaching biology, anatomy and physiology at Trotwood-Madison.
Interim Superintendent Marlon Howard said the district appreciates Stone’s commitment to his students and their families.
“We are extremely proud of Mr. Stone and his acknowledgement for this award,” Howard said in a statement to this newspaper last week. “Mr. Stone is an incredible role model for our students and pushes them to believe in themselves despite the odds many of them have to deal with daily.”
Stone said he’s happy to teach in the area where he grew up.
“This is where I’m from, so I’m trying to be there to assist these kids, some who may be overlooked in some ways,” Stone said, highlighting the benefit of teaching in an area whose strengths and weaknesses he knows well.
“There’s a challenge when you don’t know an environment. Being where I’m comfortable, and helping those around me become comfortable, is a big goal of mine.”
Stone attributes some of his success as a teacher to his empathetic nature and ability to meet his students where they are.
“I remember myself as a child, so it’s much easier for me to (relate) to my students,” he said. “There’s typically not one student who’s not going to have a rough day now and then, so I’m able to allow those feelings because I’m a grown man and I have rough days, too.”
Stone said it’s important to allow kids the space to grow while supporting their individual needs.
“Students are going to make mistakes, just like we made mistakes,” he said. “My job is to help them learn from those mistakes because I want them to be prepared for adulthood.”
One of Stone’s biggest motivators in his career is the work toward a more equitable educational playing field.
“We talk a lot about equity in the education world, but we rarely see any changes. We have a state report card every year and the schools at the top typically stay at the top while the schools at the bottom tend to stay there,” he said. “If we’re really talking this equity talk, why aren’t we seeing any changes?”
As part of this work, Stone collaborated earlier this year with his district and Sinclair Community College on a program to help recruit more Black students into the emergency medical services (EMS) field.
The collaboration aimed to enlist a more diverse cohort of first-responders into a white, male-dominated industry.
Stone said in February he feels Black and minority students may simply be unaware of all of the options available to them despite having just as much “passion and perseverance” as anyone to thrive in fast-paced, specialized careers.
“When you do well in school and you’re in an urban community, you’re typically pushed toward higher professions, like becoming a doctor, an engineer, or a lawyer, but no one really talks to us about the trades or EMS opportunities, even something as simple as saying, ‘Hey, you’d be a great electrician,’” Stone said at the time.
The annual Teacher of the Year program features “exceptional” teachers statewide, celebrating their work both in and outside of the classroom. Winners are chosen based on their expertise in their field, and their effort to collaborate with colleagues, students and families to cultivate a successful learning environment.
Candidates are community-oriented, engaging and demonstrate leadership and innovation to embody lifelong learning, according to the SBOE Ohio website.
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