“Proactive in every aspect”: Layla Allen Named OCS Beginning Teacher of the Year
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As an undergraduate at North Carolina State University (NC State), Allen was gaining on-the-ground experience in 2022 as an English as a Second Language (ESL) Tutor at A.L. Stanback Middle School.
Her connection with students and experience working alongside an ESL teacher solidified her decision to work for Orange County Schools, already on her mind when she learned about the opportunity through a classmate.
Just one year later, walking across the stage to accept her Bachelor’s in Science Education, she knew Orange County Schools would be the starting point for her career in education - becoming a full-time teacher at Cedar Ridge High School.
“When I started my first year of teaching at Cedar Ridge High School, I was excited because I already knew many of the students and had met their families, which made me feel like I was a part of their community,” Allen said.
Working with the ESL population, Allen centers fostering a sense of community within her classroom, which is one of the reasons she was named Orange County Schools 2024-25 Beginning Teacher of the Year.
Allen currently teaches Earth Science at Cedar Ridge High School where she teaches both general academic and honors level students, working with students with limited English proficiency.
During her first year at CRHS, she felt a strong connection with her students and found they worked hard but also in isolation from each other, as they remained tethered to phones and earbuds or in small cliques. Challenged by these observations, Allen was inspired to make a change for the second semester — she decided to remove phones from her classroom.
“The change was immediate. At first, they were all upset and I became the ‘common enemy,’ but that one classroom procedure gave them a reason to bond,” she wrote.
By making this slight change she saw results immediately, “I quickly noticed that the quality of their group work improved, and they were genuinely engaged and connected with each other.”
Allen’s work with ESL students both inside and outside the classroom has not gone unnoticed. As one colleague wrote: “It is already difficult in high school to transition to a new school, but adding language and culture barriers makes it significantly more difficult...
“Layla is proactive in every aspect in caring for the needs of her students. Her work directly with the ESL population of students has been impactful and integral in their success, both inside and outside of the classroom."
Creating a community in her classroom has provided a safe space for her students, according to one parent, and has brought students from all walks of life together.
“I have rarely ever seen a teacher, especially one so early in her career, who is able to accomplish much more than just teaching a curriculum. Her influence can be felt on multiple levels for hundreds of kids, because she makes school, science, and her classroom a desired destination for learning and community,” the parent wrote.
This parent added:
Ms. Allen also has a unique gift of creating a safe and unifying student community with her kind demeanor and inclusive leadership.
Allen received the news in her classroom surrounded by students and district personnel, being congratulated on her new title.
Allen will now represent OCS in the Beginning Teacher of the Year (BTOY) program through NCCAT, the NC Center for the Advancement of Teaching.
Eligible teachers have completed their first year of teaching in a NC public school and continued employment in the same school or district for their second year, and they teach students directly at least 70% of the time. Finalists will be named in December, and the NC BTOY will be announced in March 2025.