Lockerbie Academy’s Jennie Hargreaves has been selected for her work by the Institute of Physics (IOP).
And she is one of just six teachers in the UK to receive their 2016 Teachers of Physics Award for her ‘exceptional’ work teaching physics. Jennie was chosen by a panel of judges for her ‘outstanding commitment to teaching’ and the work she does outside of the classroom to support other teachers and promote the science.
Her nominator said: “Her students consistently do well in exams and she actively addresses barriers to learning for all pupils.
“With tireless good humour and impeccable organisation, she has worked with agencies beyond the school to bring physics to the wider public.
She shows great imagination in generating ideas and has the resilience to see them through.”
As well as classroom duties, Jennie is also praised for creating a welfare board for the staff at Lockerbie Academy, mentoring younger colleagues, running meetings and residential weekends for physics teachers in the area.
Humbled by the award, Jennie said: “I would say that I won as someone nominated me, so if you think you know a great physics teacher then you can nominate them for next year.
“It is lovely that someone in Dumfries and Galloway was recognised as we sometimes get forgotten in this region.”
She added: “I would also like to mention a guy who really ought to have won this award but didn’t live long enough to see the nomination process through – Kevin Bailey from Wallace Hall Academy. He was an amazing teacher, would give up everything to help his students and had the respect of all those he knew. He is still sorely missed.”
And encouraging other physics teachers, she said: “We are teaching the best subject in the school, although many students don’t know it, so we need to get students to realise it.
“We can do that by showing the relevance to their everyday lives and, if it is an obscure topic, then at least you can get them to think. Think about asking the whys and how things happen.”
Jennie will receive her award along with a cheque for £300 at the IOP award dinner on November 29.
