WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Williamstown Elementary School first-grade teacher Greta Noyes feeds her students' natural curiosity and makes them excited to learn. 

 

It is her dedication to her students, caring heart, and welcoming atmosphere that has earned her the iBerkshires Teacher of the Month designation. 

 

"I just love what I do, and I know every day is going to be a good day … It is never a dull moment, and it's always exciting, and it's good to see the curiosity and the eagerness of our students and how they bring so much joy to the classroom," she said.

 

The Teacher of the Month series, in collaboration with Berkshire Community College, features distinguished teachers nominated by community members. You can nominate a teacher here. 

 

For more than two decades, Noyes has dedicated her career to nurturing young minds, from teaching kindergarten in North Carolina for 11 years through moving to Massachusetts. She has been working at Williamstown Elementary for the last 11 years. 

 

"I have a background in language and literacy. I love the moment that students realize that they are successful with a skill, in particular with reading," she said. 

 

Noyse infuses her background with other curriculum, including math, science, and social studies, to reach her pupils. 

 

"I think it makes it very concrete for the students. We're able to use multiple ways of gaining that information, hearing it, seeing it, but also interpreting that information and putting it into their own writing," she said. 

 

During the school visit, students crafted math problems by writing short word scenarios inspired by their personal interests — ranging from footballs and puppies to trains and video games. 

 

Afterward, they exchanged their assignments, tackled each other's assignments, then graded each other's work. 

 

"First-graders come to school every day with such joy and curiosity to learn, their eagerness and willingness to learn new information and to put their heart and soul in everything they do makes my day wonderful, and it's a positive impact for me, because I get to see how much joy they get in learning," Noyes said. 

 

"It's amazing to see the growth that a first grader can make in such a short amount of time, and that's one of the reasons why I love teaching first grade. There is so much to learn, and the growth is incredible from the beginning of the year to the end of the year."

 

Her teaching style consists of a lot of structure but she does not shy away from creating a positive environment and making learning fun whether it's through learning through song, movement, reward learning, and other strategies. 

 

"It's important for students to feel comfortable in the classroom, to feel like they belong, that they're included. It's important for them to feel comfortable in taking challenges and risks, so that if they make a mistake, they know that they have the support of their fellow classmates," she said. 

 

Noyes attributes her ongoing growth as a teacher to her students' curiosity and her colleagues' creativity. The students' enthusiasm for learning and the ideas they share inspire her to consider new teaching opportunities and methods. 

 

"I think I'm also inspired every day by my colleagues. We have a supportive group. Our first grade team is amazing, and I rely on them as well. They inspire me every day by all the creative and wonderful things that they do," she said. 

 

"I have a great class and supportive families and a supportive team that makes my job easy."

 

Noyes comes from a family of educators from elementary school all the way up to college. 

 

She didn't always know she wanted to be an educator but was inspired during a mentorship in college where she observed a teacher making a meaningful, positive impact on students inspiring her to pursue teaching.

 

"It was a small classroom with students with and without disabilities, and the teacher was such a positive teacher that moved at a quick pace. She was able to bring so much knowledge in a short amount of time," Noyes said. 

 

During that experience she saw how much the students cared for the teacher and the teacher her students.

 

"I want to continue that in my teaching. I want every student to feel like they're valued members of the classroom and that they belong in the room, and I want them to know that they're important to me," she said. 

 

"I'm hoping that not only are they learning academically, socially, emotionally, but they're also knowing that they are an important member of our community." 

 

Her students said they feel supported, happy, and engaged in her classroom, viewing her as a kind and helpful teacher who makes learning fun.

 

"She'll help us out anytime if we need help learning," first-grader Maddex Briand said, highlighting how she uses different "tools" to come to the same answer. 

 

Classmates Adeline Siebert and Kobe Drake smiled while demonstrating how Noyes's songs and reward systems have helped them learn. 

 

"We make songs up," Adeline said and began singing a couple of the songs with Kobe. 

 

"I really like her. She makes everything fun," Kobe said. 

 

"She shows us strategies in math that make it easier to count," said first-grader Cora Chu Hert.