Wiregrass Ranch instructor is Pasco’s teacher of the year
By B.C. Manion
When Paula Berry was a teenager growing up in El Centro, Calif., she wanted to become a lawyer.
She was attracted to the profession because of the writing and research challenges it would present.
Two things changed her career aspirations.
First, she watched the O.J. Simpson murder trial play out on television, and she couldn’t help but notice how bored the lawyers appeared to be. And, second, she took a high school English Advanced Placement (AP) class taught by Judy Jacklich.
“She was the first teacher I had who came across more as a human being than as a teacher,” Berry recalled. “It showed me how it could be.”
Jacklich also shared her personal experiences with students, including stories about places she’d been and exciting things she had done, like fire walking in Peru, Berry said.
She also demonstrated that “something as difficult as AP language could be fun and could excite that kind of passion for life,” Berry said.
Berry said Jacklich helped a girl growing up in the desert of Southern California to realize there was a much bigger world awaiting her.
She also recalls sitting in Jacklich’s class one day, thinking, “That’s what I need to do.”
Though she didn’t know it then, the Wiregrass Ranch High teacher now believes she was born to teach.
“Every day when I drive to work, I don’t feel like I’m driving to work. Anytime you can do what you love, it doesn’t feel like work,” said Berry, who was recently named Pasco County Schools’ teacher of the year.
Students in Berry’s English II honors class said Berry deserves the award.
Instead of lecturing at the front of the class, Berry uses interactive approaches to make learning interesting, students said.
“We were all really excited for her,” said Lindsey Snyder. “She’s a really great teacher. She’ll act out stories. She’ll use different voices. She’ll make you pay attention to what she is saying.”
Classmate Ryan Leonard agreed: “She’s one of the teachers that you’d never forget. … This is a fun place to learn. She can turn a boring book into an interesting story.”
Maria Vera said she wasn’t surprised Berry was named teacher of the year.
“She’s a really great teacher, and I felt that other people would be able to see it,” Vera said.
“She connects very well (with students),” Amanda Melosky said.
Melosky said Berry has made her care more about writing: “I feel like I have more of a voice than I did before.”
Berry helps students succeed, said Nicole Nocerino. “She can tell just by the look on your face if you’re getting it or if you’re way off.”
Students also think about how Berry would react to their writing, whether they’re in her classroom or in another. They’ve internalized what they’ve learned about effective writing, Nocerino said.
“Whenever we write or we do essays, in this class or another class, it’s always like you have a ‘little Berry’ on your shoulder,” Nocerino said.
The teacher is also known for doling out candy to students who have performed well — something the students said they enjoy.
And, she makes herself available for one-on-one help when students need it.
The teacher is easy to approach, said Hannah Williamson. “If she sees you falling behind, she’s like, ‘Hey, what’s going on?’ She’ll talk to you about it.”
Although students weren’t surprised by Berry’s honor, the teacher was.
“I was shocked. Mr. Browning (Pasco County Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning) actually had to remind me to breathe when I got up on stage. It really is such a surreal experience.”
Berry said she combines high standards with fun, with the aim of helping her students reach their potential.
In her application for the district honor, Berry notes that when students “high five over a grade” or tell her how proud they are of their work, she knows she’s making a difference. “I feel like a great teacher because they feel like successful students,” she wrote.
Even before she won the district award, Berry said she’d been immensely gratified to have her peers select her as the top teacher at her school.
“Wholeheartedly, the best feeling in the world was to be named the best teacher of the year here at Wiregrass Ranch by my colleagues and my peers,” she said, because she admires them so much.
