Beattie named finalist for 2015 Bank of America Award for Teaching Excellence

The College of Education’s John Beattie is among the five finalists for one of UNC Charlotte’s top honors – the 2015 Bank of America Award for Teaching Excellence.

He and fellow finalists Moutaz Khouja, professor of business information systems and operations management; Stanley Schneider, professor of biological sciences; Mohamed Shehab, associate professor of software and information systems; and Beth Whitaker, associate professor of political science and public administration; are being featured in Inside UNC Charlotte prior to the naming of this year’s recipient on Friday, Sept. 18.

Beattie, a tenured assistant professor of special education and child development credits his relationship with his sons, Matthew and Davis, with influencing his approach to teaching UNC Charlotte students as well as elementary, middle and high school students.

He noted working with students often requires patience and persistence. “Sometimes the work we do with children and students doesn’t always reveal itself overnight; sometimes we have to wait and watch the seeds germinate and grow.”

Since joining the faculty in 1986, Beattie has made it his mission to interact with students in an honest, sincere, straightforward manner when preparing them for careers as teachers of some of the most vulnerable student populations. His goal is to impress upon his students the importance of their educational opportunities so that they will carry this significance forward to the children they teach.

“I am energized by teaching and the impact that, as teachers, we can have on the individuals in our lives,” he stated. “It has enabled me to see more clearly the importance of what I do, to appreciate the opportunity to do the work I do.”

Belva Collins, chair of the Department of Special Education and Child Development, appreciates John’s unique ability to “create enthusiasm for the major, as well as to establish a wide breadth of knowledge across a broad range of disabilities.”

Beattie’s aim, in the classes he teaches at UNC Charlotte, is to make instruction applicable to children’s needs and appropriate to the “real world” of school environments. His continuous engagement with primary and secondary school children ensures that the content he delivers to UNC Charlotte students is empirically supported and practically applied.

One of the secrets to Beattie’s success as a teacher is his ability to put himself in his students’ shoes and to understand some of the hardships that students face and the frustration they feel, in part because of his own academic and medical challenges. Nearly two decades ago, Beattie was diagnosed with a specific learning disability and Attention Deficit Disorder. According to Beattie, these areas of difficulty have enabled him to further enhance his teaching, bringing a unique level of personal understanding to his classes. He encourages students to look for alternative ways to learn and to recognize that different is not better or worse.

“Dr. Beattie is the most passionate, kind, and patient professor I have ever had,” commented Skyler Sanders, an elementary education major. “I can honestly say he has made me look forward to my career as a teacher and especially prepared me for having students with disabilities.”

In 2006, Beattie received the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Teacher of the Year Award. He also is a state consultant for the North Carolina Math Foundations project and the North Carolina K-3 Formative Assessment Process, and he regularly works with the National Implementation Research Network. Additionally, he is the co-author of the textbook “Teaching students with special needs: A guide for future educators.”