06-09-2024 Capital Style - Flipbook - Page 8
3 THINGS
BY MIKE KLINGAMAN Capital Style
Mary Kay Connerton
Maryland State Teacher of the Year, wellness coordinator at Annapolis High School
PHOTO BY BRIAN KRISTA
The Maryland State Teacher of the Year doesn’t work from a textbook. For Mary Kay Connerton, wellness coordinator at Annapolis High School, yoga, meditation and other emotional healing
techniques are the crux of her instruction.
“Science backs the fact that if you have students who are calm, focused and in the present moment, you get better results, academically and behaviorally,” said Connerton, 38, of Arnold. A graduate of the State University of New York at Cortland, she also offers wellness workshops to teachers
and residents in a pilot program that is gaining popularity in Anne Arundel County.
Here are three things you may not know about Connerton:
Teaching took her to the White House
“[In April], I attended the first-ever state
dinner at the White House for all state teachers
of the year. I shook President [Joe] Biden’s
hand; he was very friendly. He told us that
teaching is the profession of all professions
and that teachers are ‘the kite strings on which
the American dream is hung.’ We had lobster
ravioli and, for dessert, these adorable little
books made of coconut wafers. It was the most
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magical night.”
Yoga training felt like boot camp
“To gain certification to teach yoga, I lived
in an ashram [spiritual retreat] for five weeks,
in 2009, in a small town in Quebec. From 5 in
the morning to 10 at night, we had rigorous
instruction, from the history and philosophy of
yoga to classes in anatomy and Sanskrit. Each
day, we learned postures, sat cross-legged for
eight hours, ate two vegan meals and spent
four hours in meditation. It was one of the
hardest things I’ve had to do, but also the most
transformative.”
She student-taught Down Under
“For five months, in 2007, I taught fourth
grade in Sippy Downs, Australia. It opened my
eyes to the world. Each morning, for 20 minutes, class stopped and my 60 children enjoyed
tea time; it was amazing to see that tradition
carried over, in a group of 10-year-olds, from its
British roots.
“I taught a unit in American culture and,
because they don’t have typical graham crackers and marshmallows there, I had my parents
ship the ingredients to make s’mores for the
students. I had the staff try [the s’mores] first,
and the teachers liked them so much that they
kept them all for themselves.”
