Teacher of the Year Finalist - Troops to Teachers

Over the past few days, we introduced you to Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools teacher of the year finalists.

It's a huge honor for those who are recognized because they go on to represent all of the teachers in the district.
3 On Your Side education reporter, Randi Hempel, introduces us to the third and final finalist, a teacher at Savannah Arts Academy

Our third teacher of the year finalist was in the military for 22 years, working in aviation in both the Army and Coast Guard.

A professor he met at Armstrong Atlantic State University convinced him to enter the Troops to Teachers program.

Now, he's using his real life experience to make his students realize that what they are learning now will be helpful as they head into college and the workforce.

Daniel Snope’s advanced placement calculus class is small, but what he's doing for these students is giant.

Snope is showing them how they'll actually use something most of us don't understand. He refers to real life experiences, those from his more than 2 decades in the military

"It became more important once I did get an education because everything became relevant. All of the things I was doing with flying and working with aviation there was all sorts of math and science involved and I saw why I was doing things. That's what I try to do in my teaching I try to show kids who are now in school that all this stuff they're doing is relevant to real life, and particularly in mathematics, I can relate that to aviation all of the time,” explains Daniel Snope, teacher of the year finalist.

It's something the students are fascinated by, just as they are with their hands-on lessons.

"I love to look over my classroom and all the kids are looking up. There are no heads on the desk. I try to keep things interesting. I try to do a lot of activities. I try and actually show them how the numbers are working whenever I can," adds Snope.

They match the shape of the graph to their movements. They have to adjust their speeds and distances to match the graph.

"It's very, very rewarding. When I get students coming back from college saying that their college classes weren't a whole lot different from their high school or they felt very prepared. I don't think there's anything more rewarding than that, that they felt ready to go on to the next step or they feel ready for life there's nothing more rewarding than teaching. It's a wonderful, wonderful career and I encourage anyone who's thinking about it to give it a try,” he adds with a smile.

So you'll have the opportunity to touch lives just like Snope is doing.