- May 1, 2024
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Teachers sometimes approach Flagler Palm Coast High School Guidance Department Chair Phil DeAugustino at the beginning of the school year with requests to move a student they taught in a previous year to a different teacher for the upcoming year.
"The opposite is true with Maria," DeAugustino wrote of Maria Godino-Faircloth in a letter of recommendation for Godino-Faircloth's Teacher of the Year application. "She requests to have previous, and the most challenging, students year after year. Her reasoning is that they may not have passed the state test, but showed great gains, and she wants to finish the job towards passing the state test and earning their graduation requirement."
Godino-Faircloth began teaching in 2000 as a middle school math teacher before coming to FPC in 2018. She is now the school's math department chair.
Her passion for math (geometry in particular) is contagious, and she has an innate talent for making complex concepts accessible and exciting."
—BOBBY BOSSARDET, Flagler Palm Coast High School principal
"She has worked tirelessly with her partner exceptional student education teacher to create a supportive learning environment where all students can achieve academic success," FPC Principal Bobby Bossardet wrote in a letter of recommendation for Godino-Faircloth. "Mrs. Faircloth seeks out struggling students to include in her class and her after school tutoring and enjoys seeing them make progress in their math abilities and confidence."
Godino-Faircloth uses data to help inform instruction, she wrote in her application materials. Last year, the school's Geometry state scores showed an increase of 14% proficiency, while Algebra scores showed an increase of 9% proficiency.
"Data-driven instruction is critical in helping teachers identify areas of strength and areas that need improvement in their students’ mathematics development," she wrote.
Teacher collaboration is also important in helping students learn, she wrote.
"As the department head for mathematics at my school, I practice a collaborative relationship which is built on trust and open communication," she wrote. "...This renewed environment of collaboration has enabled our math team to build trust and to meet in small groups to discuss their instructional goals and challenges."
She requests to have previous, and the most challenging, students year after year."
— PHIL DEAUGUSTINO, Flagler Palm Coast High School Guidance Department chair
At the end of the 2021-2022 school year, Godino-Faircloth led a team of math teachers in an effort to revamp the school's geometry curriculum. They implemented the new curriculum last year, then used student achievement data to tweak it.
"Our collaboration allowed us to strengthen and learn from one another, which led to student success," Godino-Faircloth wrote. "This practice of collaboration provided fellow educators in the math department opportunities to meet, share insights, create cohesive plans and work together effectively."
Godino-Faircloth's students' state assessment results consistently show outstanding learning growth, Bossardet wrote.
"One of the most remarkable qualities of Mrs. Faircloth is their ability to inspire and motivate students," Bossardet said. "Her passion for math (geometry in particular) is contagious, and she has an innate talent for making complex concepts accessible and exciting."
