The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) has named Johns Hopkins School of Education alumna Berol Dewdney, MS ’21, as 2022-23 Maryland Teacher of the Year. The award was announced on Oct. 6 during a Maryland Public Television special marking the 32nd year of the Maryland Teacher of the Year program.
Dewdney, who is a pre-kindergarten teacher at the Commodore John Rodgers School in the Baltimore City Public Schools System, was earlier this year named Teacher of the Year for Baltimore City. A designated model pre-K teacher who will enter her tenth year at the school, Dewdney also serves as team lead, Tools of the Mind-endorsed curriculum lead, and instructional coach across the district.
She will advance for consideration as National Teacher of the Year, to be announced in April 2023. During the interval, she will join other state winners from across the nation in programs and events hosted by the National Teacher of the Year Program.
One of the few pre-K educators to be honored with such an award, Dewdney was praised by State Superintendent Mohammed Choudhury for “setting the foundation for positive outcomes in school and life.” In the 68-year history of the National Teacher of the Year program, the first early childhood educator to receive top U.S. teacher honors was Kansas preschool educator Tabatha Rosproy in 2020.
“I am so pleased to congratulate Berol on this well-deserved honor,” said Johns Hopkins School of Education Dean Christopher Morphew. “I know that many of our students, faculty, staff, and alumni will be uplifted by this recognition of the critical—and often underappreciated—role of early childhood educators. I couldn’t be prouder of her dedication and achievement.”
Finalists for the award were selected by a panel of judges from key Maryland education organizations representing principals, teachers, school boards, and teacher unions. Selection criteria were based on a rigorous set of written narratives and interviews that included discussion around student engagement, creativity in instructions, improved school culture, education and instruction reaching beyond the classroom, community collaboration, and student achievement results.
