Educator Awards Spotlight: Nadine Owen

Nadine Owen is the Capitol Region ESD 113 Regional Classified School Employee of the Year and is the Restorative Room Supervisor at Thurgood Marshall Middle School in Olympia School District

We’re sharing the wisdom of our incredible regional and state Teachers and Classified School Employees of the Year, in their own words. Find more on our Spotlight page.

What advice would you give someone who is just beginning their career in education?

My advice to someone that is beginning their career in education is as follows: always remember, when a student is in crisis, it is not about you, it is about the student. Your student’s behavior is a symptom of what is going on in their life. When a student is in crisis, you can choose to either perpetuate the situation, or you can choose to pause, demonstrate patience, understanding, practice mindfulness, help the child feel safe and loved, and together, with the child, figure out what the child needs. Always allow the child to be a part of the solution.

What do you think is the most important part of your job?

The most important part of my job is loving, supporting, and teaching students to find ways to self-regulate and to learn lifelong coping strategies. My hope is to supply them with problem-solving skills that will accompany them through life. Hopefully, this will allow them to be healthy, functioning, and productive members of society.

Tell us about a time during COVID-19 that you felt successful as an educator.

I was worried that many of the students I had been working with pre-covid had been trapped in toxic environments with no means of escape or support since we left school in March. I felt helpless and concerned for my students’ well-being. With the help of my supervisor, I was able to arrange a time to meet with these students. We met once a week for the rest of the year. During this time these students had time to share, connect, get social-emotional support, as well as academic support.

What is one local, state, or national education issue that you think more people should be thinking/talking about?

Rethinking discipline in schools. I happen to believe — that we need to move away from punitive punishments and move towards restorative practices that are aligned with being trauma-informed. If we expect our students to be contributing citizens in our public schools and communities, we need to build trusting and loving relationships with them and teach ways to self-regulate. We should educate students to make good choices: not because they are told so or afraid of punitive measures, but because they understand it is the right thing to do.

Learn more about the Teacher and Classified School Employees of the Year on the Educator Awards website.