Here's Your Teacher of the Year, North Kingstown

By Kate Porter,
Stony Lane Elementary School PTO Co-President

The great Dr. Seuss wisely explained, “It is better to know how to learn than to know.” North Kingstown’s Teacher of the Year teaches our children how to learn, and more importantly – how to love learning!

Mrs. Suzanne Lynch began teaching in the North Kingstown School Department in the fall of 2000 at Davisville Elementary School. She now works jointly at Stony Lane Elementary and Forest Park Elementary. As a Library Media Teacher at Stony Lane Elementary School, Suzanne Lynch has the opportunity to work with over 400 students throughout their 6 years at Stony. She takes photos of each child to help remember each of their names and faces, and saves the photos throughout the years so as each student graduates to middle school, she can share with them every missing tooth and crooked smile.

“She has been described as an incredibly knowledgeable teacher who is exemplary for how positive and giving she is,” wrote Superintendent of North Kingstown, Dr. Auger. “She gives all she has to maintaining a positive school culture and is respected by all who work with her for great ideas and her willingness to learn and collaborate with other staff members.”

North Kingstown schools are on the cutting edge of technology in the classroom to help develop students who will be competitive and capable in the workplace. Mrs. Lynch is responsible for a lot of the newest high-tech additions to Stony. She often uses laptop computers for lessons, has worked with the iPads and Smartboards, and is responsible for updating the Stony Lane website. She uses the technology available to her to “test” what the students know, and she uses the test results to better tailor her lessons. This way, she can tell if she has to approach a certain subject differently because an entire class hasn’t caught on to a lesson, or she can quietly help students who might need it.

“I like Mrs. Lynch because even if I am sick or someone misses a class, she helps us catch up and never makes us feel bad about it,” said Jackson, age 10.

In classic librarian form, Mrs. Lynch engages her students by adding character’s voices and emotions into the stories. She clearly expresses her expectations for good behavior, and when someone is having difficulty demonstrating proper behavior, she reminds them and always tries to catch them doing something POSITIVE so she can reward that instead of punishing them for bad behavior. When further intervention is necessary, she always does it in a calm, compassionate manner, working with the other teachers and para-professionals. Mrs. Lynch has high expectations for each student, because she realizes that expectations directly affect their achievement. She is building lifetime learners!

“As a parent, it is wonderful to work with Mrs. Lynch,” says Janine Patil, Stony Lane PTO Co-President. “She reinforces values we try to teach our children at home, such as respect for yourself, for others, and for rules, and for property.”

Mrs. Lynch is always there for the students, including outside of school, and can almost always be found at school events such as the Harvest Festival, Pizza Bingo, Talent Show, and School Carnival. Even then, she is always “on” – greeting parents, taking photos, and making students feel special.

Mrs. Lynch is a very calm, caring, and dedicated teacher who instills not only a great education, but also excellent values upon our children. It is obvious to the parents AND the students how much Suzanne Lynch truly cares for the children at Stony Lane, and how much she does for the entire Stony community.

“Her dedication exemplifies the work she does for our school and the community,” said Stony Lane Principal, Edward Ferrario. “She inspires children to be the best they can be, both socially and academically. And her enthusiasm for learning teaches children how to LOVE learning!”