BY JILLIAN McCARTNEY
SALISBURY POST

Four years ago Brian Whitson thought he wouldn’t be in Salisbury for more than a couple of years.

In his first job as a teacher, he planned to stay at Salisbury High School about two years.

Today he has four years of experience under his belt, a new house in Salisbury and one of the highest honors a teacher can receive.

Each school in the Rowan-Salisbury system nominates a teacher for the 2002 Wachovia Teacher of the Year Award. That person turns in a portfolio, and five finalists are selected to be interviewed by a panel of nine people in the education community.

“Nine people is really a long table,” Whitson observed.

At a breakfast in September, officials surprised Whitson with the 2002 award. “I was really surprised,” he said. “I was just happy to be a finalist.”

Whitson attributes being selected to a good interview, his educational training and good faculty and leadership at Salisbury High School. He said the staff is student-centered and does a good job of reaching the students.

A 1998 graduate of Elon College, Whitson double majored in chemistry and science education, with a minor in anthropology. He was a member of the N.C. Teaching Fellows program.

Whitson teaches chemistry at Salisbury High School, where he acts as adviser for the Key Club and co-adviser for the Honor Society and the Future Teachers of America.

In June, Whitson bought his first house and the two-year plan “will probably be more like 30,” he joked.

So what is keeping this young teacher in Salisbury?

The students.

“I just think he has a love for teaching and a love for kids,” said Salisbury High School Principal Dr. Windsor Eagle. “I think he’s one of the most enthusiastic and enjoyable teachers that I have employed.”

Eagle said students enjoy Whitson’s classes because he is personable, witty and entertaining but still very business-like in his teaching style.

“He gets a lot done without it seeming like a great deal of work.”

When he was in high school, Whitson enjoyed chemistry, but he didn’t like his teacher. Whitson thought he could do a better job of inspiring students.

Whitson said he enjoys working with high school students. “It’s a fun age to work with,” he said.

“The students adore him,” said Amy Beiter, physics and earth science teacher.

Michelle Rinehardt-Cline, chair of the English Department at Salisbury High and last year’s runner-up for the Teacher of the Year Award, said she and Whitson have taught many of the same students, and she often hears students speak of the the respect and appreciation they have for him.

A student once told her, “If Mr. Whitson can’t teach it to you, then you can’t learn it.”

“He makes a really hard subject easy,” said senior Andi Steele, who had Whitson for sophomore chemistry. “He goes out of his way to be extra animated.”

Senior Jennifer Bauk took Advanced Placement chemistry after having Whitson in sophomore chemistry.

Though “chemistry is not really a fun subject,” she took the second class — a particularly tough one — because of Whitson. “He creates a good learning environment.”

Bauk said Whitson often stays after class to talk to students who need help, whether it’s with chemistry or a problem in their life. “He’s a teacher who really truly cares about his students,” she said. “He’s probably the best teacher I’ve ever had.”

“Everybody loves him,” said Daniel Butner, a senior who also took Whitson for sophomore and AP chemistry. “He wants you to do well and learn the material.”

Outside the classroom, Whitson does his best to show his support for the students by being an advisor and by attending activities like athletic events. Few teachers get the standing ovation Whitson gets, according to Beiter. “It’s like being with a star.”

Steele and Butner, who play soccer for Salisbury, say he frequently attends their games.

“I see him more as a friend than a teacher,” Butner said.

As a new teacher four years ago, Whitson was surprised at the amount of work teaching involved. “It’s a lot easier to be a student than to teach a course,” Whitson said.

He said he has learned that regardless of how much experience a teacher has, students have to feel that the teacher cares about them for them to behave and want to learn. Students want teachers to be advocates for them.

Making an impact on a student’s life is one of the greatest rewards of teaching, Whitson said.

Last year, Whitson had a senior who came from an under-privileged family. She worked to help her family financially and had a lot to do outside the classroom. “She was very adult-like at a young age,” he said.

The student did not have the reputation of a well-behaved pupil, Whitson said. When she ended up in his class, Whitson was leery. To his surprise, “she turned out to be one of the most motivated students I’ve ever taught.”

Whitson talked with the girl about going to college, and she ended up getting a scholarship to Elon, where she is studying business and doing well.

“He won’t allow kids to fail in his classroom,” Eagle, the principal, said.

Students aren’t the only ones raving about Whitson.

Beiter describes Whitson as a colleague who is easy going, respectful and humorous. “He is the type of person who will go out of his way to help you out if you need it,” she said.

Rinehardt-Cline described Whitson as one of the most professional people she’s known. He is always positive and looking out for fellow teachers, she said.

When a teacher has a stressful day ahead of them, it’s not uncommon to find a note from Whitson — just a little encouragement. One morning she said she even found a chicken biscuit awaiting her.

“He just makes everyone he’s around feel so much better about themselves,” Rinehardt-Cline said.

Someday Whitson plans to go back to school — he says maybe in the next two years — but he is not sure whether he will be a full-time or part-time student.

Ultimately, Whitson said he would like to work with beginning teachers. But pulling himself from the classroom will be a task.

Contact Jillian McCartney at 704-797-4253 or jmccartney@salisburypost.com .