Teacher of the Month: October

Each month, fellow teachers nominate one teacher who they believe is worthy of the prestigious, highly sought-after title of Teacher of the Month! For October, that winner is the all-around amazing person, Mrs. Denise McCutcheon! In an effort to learn more about her life and the wonderful things she does, we asked her some extremely hard-hitting questions:

Do you foresee this being your final job in life?
Absolutely, I would like to continue teaching until my love and passion for teaching is gone. The best feeling ever is going to a job that you enjoy, working with people you respect, value and consider your friends and teaching students you absolutely love!

When you were a child, what was your dream job?
Growing up I loved playing school so I believe I was always destined to teach or work in the school system in some way.

If you could go back and redo your first year of teaching, what would you do differently?
Honestly I probably wouldn't change much. I was working as a special education teacher in Rossford school system in a K-6 setting. I had amazing co-workers and learned so much while I was there.

What drives you to get out of bed so early every morning?
My students. I love making a difference in their lives!

What have you learned from teaching?
That everyone is gifted and special in their own way. If I want to earn the respect from my students (and co-workers) I need to always be encouraging, patient and to be a great listener.

What is your main goal for teaching?
My main goal in teaching is to bring out the best in each of my students and to make them feel they are worthy, confident and become risk takers.

Who is in your family?
I am married to my best friend. Paul is the one person who I always want to share my happy times with but he is also my rock and the one person that is always there for me during the difficult times. My son Jacob is studying to be a mechanical engineer at OSU and my daughter Taylor will be attending OSU starting in January to study Speech and Language Pathology. We have a cute little yorkie named Callie.

What activities do you participate in outside of school?
I love to watch my kids participate in any activity. They both played sports and participated in Findlay's First Edition Show Choir. I love spending time with my family and my favorite thing to do is go to the lake and spend the day on our boat. Summer is my favorite season. I also love attending and watching sports.

If you could choose how to spend one day, doing whatever you'd like to do, what would you do?
Hands down, I would be with my family, somewhere warm and near the water - preferably close to a beach!

Here’s what other teachers have to say about the wonderful Mrs. McCutcheon:

Denise goes out of her way to help our students. She meets these kids where they are to help bring them where they need to be. She has a big heart for our students and it shows in how students run up to her to give her a hug or a high five with a big smile on their face.

Mrs. McCutcheon tirelessly works for the students of Arlington. She provides a caring learning environment where students are willing to take risks to grow in their learning. Mrs. McCutcheon makes a difference in the lives of the students she teaches.

Denise demonstrates amazing love and compassion for her students. She connects with them in such a way that they come back to her for years after they leave her class. Denise communicates approval while still requiring students to maximize their potential. She is also a joy to work with. We are extremely blessed to have her here at Arlington.