Lessons from the teacher of the year

It was one thing when Sydney Chaffee was named Massachusetts Teacher of the Year. Now she's been named one of four finalists for National Teacher of the Year, with announcement of the winner due in April. The Codcast sat down with Chaffee and asked what she thinks makes for great teaching. The two top ingredients, she says, are a passion for what you're teaching (she says she has that in abundance for the interdisciplinary study of history and English that is her focus) and building relationships with students to see them "as whole people," gain their trust, and motivate them to take risks. I'm "really trying to fire them up," she says.