Laurel School District Teacher of the Year Joseph Wenke is dedicated to his students in the classroom and his players on the basketball court. The Salisbury native is in his sixth year at Laurel High School and ninth overall year of teaching.
“It’s an honor,” said Wenke, who teaches 11th and 12th grade English. “The district means a lot to me. The kids mean a lot to me. They’re my family.”
Wenke taught in Baltimore for one year and did an assistantship at Salisbury University, where he taught English 103, for two years. The Parkside grad got his undergraduate degree in English and Secondary education at the school and received a masters degree in English literature while he taught there. Wanting to teach and coach at a public high school, Joseph came to Laurel.
Wenke
“I wanted to make meaningful connections with kids and that’s something I feel like I’ve done,” Wenke said.
The move to Laurel also allowed him to stay close to his family in Salisbury. “Moving away to the city gave me a perspective on why I enjoy being here,” he said.
During his sophomore year in college Wenke took a class and became a writing center consultant where he helped fellow students with their writing. That experience inspired him to become a teacher.
Joseph feels a responsibility to his students and wants to reach them so they feel comfortable coming into his classroom.
“I enjoy spending my days with the students. It’s something that gives my life meaning,” said Wenke. “It’s the joy that I get out of it that keeps me coming back.”
Wenke is entering his second year as the Bulldogs’ varsity boys’ basketball coach after serving as a varsity assistant coach and JV head coach at the school. He looks to bring the same energy he has in the classroom to the hardwood.
“Coaching, I think, is an extension of my teaching. I treat the classroom just like I do the court,” Wenke said.
He believes community involvement is an important part of being a teacher. “If they’re going to trust you as a teacher they need to see you outside the classroom. For me coaching and teaching go hand in hand, it’s just a different classroom,” said Wenke.
Wenke is thankful to the school district for allowing him to find a home at Laurel and a place where he feels he can make a difference. He said the teacher of the year process has allowed him time to reflect on what makes a good teacher, how to manage a classroom, and how to build relationships with students.
“You’ve got to find joy in teaching. You’ve got to find joy in the day to day. I enjoy every bit of the high school day and I enjoy every bit of coaching,” Wenke said. “As much hard work as I’ve put in, I’m very blessed to have students that trust me, students that listen to me.”
“Everyone’s been extremely supportive. All they want to do is build me up. That just shows how tightknit this community is,” Wenke said of the support he has received since being named district teacher of the year. “There are some other amazing teachers in this school and this district that have made me who I am. Without their help and without their guidance I don’t think I’d be the teacher that I am.”
