An educator at Franklin High School in Reisterstown, who believes veteran educators can play a key role in teacher retention and that to achieve on standardized tests students must be consistently challenged to think, has been named Baltimore County Public Schools’ Teacher of the Year.

John Billingslea, 40, also says violence in schools has less to do with the schools and more about societal influences.

“Violence has always been in schools, but we’re hearing more and more about it because of the media,” said the Maryland native, who lives in Harford County. “Yet schools can be part of the solution [for instance by attracting] young teachers who are not only committed to the profession, but who can also be good role models.”

Billingslea, who has taught in the BCPS system for 17 years — 11 at Franklin —  said that while attending graduate school at the College of Notre Dame in Baltimore, he set his sights on becoming a principal.

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“I wanted to earn a degree in administrative leadership, but during that time I did a lot of self-reflection and decided I wanted to help teachers improve their teaching,” said Billingslea, the married father of two daughters.

“I love teaching. I love learning and come from a research background where I  use quantitative data to see how teachers can employ strategies that affect student performance.”

Billingslea also won top honors for his work helping to build the psychology program at Franklin from an enrollment of 16 psychology students 11 years ago to 130 students.

“I am humbled by the recognition,” Billingslea said. “It’s a unique opportunity. I’ve always been an advocate of teachers and this ambassador position provides me more of an opportunity to help support teachers.”

Principal Kathleen Schmidt credits him with helping the school qualify for its placement among Newsweek’s list of top high schools in the nation, and Superintendent Joe Hairston praised Billingslea’s artistry of teaching.

“For John, as for so many of our past Teachers of the Year, it is clear that teaching is far more than a profession,” Hairston said in a statement. “He writes and he speaks about the tremendous power of the teaching profession, referring to it as a calling to bring good into the world.”

drowley@baltimoreexaminer.com