Q&A with Michigan Teacher of the Year Kelley Cusmano

Kelley Cusmano is an English Language Arts teacher at Rochester High School in Rochester Community Schools. She’ll be writing a monthly blog for us starting in September, along with guest posts by the other Michigan Regional Teachers of the Year.

But first, she was kind enough to answer a few questions for us.

What is your teaching experience?

I started my teaching career with a year-long internship at Jackson High School. Then, I got my first teaching job at Eaton Rapids High School. I taught there for three years until I got engaged to my now-husband, and we moved to the Metro Detroit area. At the time, teaching jobs were scarce, so I was thrilled to be offered a job at Rochester High School. This will be my 16th year teaching high school English and student leadership at Rochester High. 

What is your mission/platform as Michigan Teacher of the Year?

I actually have two! For students, I want to increase student leadership programs, organizations and curriculum across the state. For teachers, I am incredibly passionate about retaining teachers in the field. We are doing amazing things with recruiting teachers thanks to the state of Michigan, but now I want to keep those teachers in the profession that I love.

What is the biggest change in your classroom from when you first started teaching?

I think it has to be the way communication with families and students has changed. When I started teaching, cell phones were just becoming a necessity for communication, and social media was in its infancy. Now, students and families have access to teachers and their school 24/7. Sometimes, that can be a good thing – students and parents are able to communicate important information very quickly, and we are able to access amazing curriculum resources in very intentional ways. However, the downside is that many people are quick to judge teachers and schools and rush to social media to convey any concerns, which can cause extensive communication breakdowns between families and their schools.

What are the most important things that your students have taught you?

How incredibly intelligent and capable they are. Over and over again, I hear from adults how teenagers do not take initiative or do not want to work hard, and I can say without a doubt that it is not true. Most teenagers are willing and able to do hard things, but they just may need help with access or a path forward. In addition, so many students struggle with complicated family dynamics, socio-economic forces and their own mental or physical challenges that might create obstacles to learning; however, they still try their best to show up and learn. I am always incredibly humbled by their capacity to succeed despite the odds against them. Also, as a passionate advocate for choice reading, another favorite moment is when a student tells me that they read a book they chose themselves from cover to cover for the first time.

What is your favorite story/event from teaching?

It is so hard to pick one! However, one moment that sticks out to me happened in 2015 after one of my Rochester High students passed away after a courageous battle with osteosarcoma. The entire community rallied behind his family and made a lasting impact through an organization called Rainbow Connection, which is based in Rochester. My student leadership kids wanted to support this organization in a way that involved the town, and so we ended up teaming up with one of the other high schools in our district, Stoney Creek, and putting together a Charity Week that united both schools in a quest to raise money for the cause. It was a huge success, and my students realized that through fundraising and organization, they could promote lasting change. Now, for the last 10 years, all three high schools raise money together for one charitable cause a year. Last year in 2024, all three high schools raised over $80,000 for the Humble Design organization. 

Who would play you in the Oscar-bait inspirational movie about your class, and what would the movie be called?

This was the toughest question because I have an identical twin sister who is also in education and would feature prominently in the movie. After discussions with her (and my husband!) we settled on Emily Blunt, because she would be able to handle all the adventures that I have had during my teaching career! As far as a movie title goes … no clue. I'll leave that to the Hollywood experts!

What are your words of advice for teachers (rookies or veterans)?

I think those are two groups of people in this profession, so for rookies, I would say to embrace imperfection. It is OK not to have a Pinterest-worthy classroom or a lesson plan that knocks your students' socks off every single day. Your students will appreciate all parts of the teacher that you are becoming, and they should know that everyone gets stressed out or overwhelmed or joyful or even distracted. Also, never forget to love those kids with all of your heart and soul.

For veterans, I will say a piece of advice that a colleague told me: Assume positive intention. Sometimes veteran teachers can get burdened with the job and the day-to-day stress that has piled up over the years. However, if you assume that everyone starts with positive intention, it has really helped reframe the focus that ultimately everyone wants what is best for kids. We just may disagree with the process to get there.

And for both groups: Find your community. I would be nothing without the support from my principal, the endless conversations with my teacher besties and the love of my family. If you don't have a person in your corner, things will become very unsustainable. And if you need a human cheering you on, contact me! My ultimate goal is for Michigan to have the best teachers in the country, and the profession is better with you in it.