- May 5, 2024
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For married couples in which both parties are gainfully employed, spending enough quality time together can be an issue. Ed Wolff and his wife have no such problem. The pair team-teaches fifth grade at Belle Terre Elementary, with Ed teaching math and science and Theresa saging the humanities.
“Last night, we were here until about 12 a.m., working on stuff together,” Wolff said. “We’re never really off the clock, because when we’re home, we’re constantly talking about the students, what we can do to improve things.”
The school board recognized those tireless efforts Tuesday, presenting Wolff, a 16-year veteran educator, with the Power of One Award. The award is given to individuals who’ve made a tangible, individual impact on their students and schools.
Much of Wolff’s work extends beyond the final bell. He oversees the math and science clubs at Belle Terre, helping students to continue their educations outside the typical classroom setting. He calls the dynamic the “Wolff pack.”
“He goes beyond what teaching asks for,” Belle Terre principal Dr. Terence Culver said. “He’s a person that always thinks out of the box, and he’s always thinking of future projects, things that we don’t typically do.”
The Wolffs write grants to make ambitious projects possible and proactively involve the Palm Coast community with the goings-on in their classrooms. At Tuesday’s meeting, Board member Colleen Conklin recalled that Wolff was one of the first Flagler educators to broach the topic of turning STEM into STEAM, or integrating the arts into the science, technology, engineering, and math initiatives.
“Not only do they want to share what we’re doing in our school, but they also want a partnership with our community,” assistant principal Anna Crawford said.
Currently, Wolff’s students are writing reflections about models of the Parthenon and Eiffel Tower they constructed out of tag board. They’re full-sized behemoths, some as massive as seven-feet tall. Seeing his students enthused about their creations is all the payoff Wolff needs.
“All the work they’ve done right now, they’re showing it off to their peers and just having a blast,” he said.
But Tuesday’s award was memorable, he said, because it provided feedback that he’s on the right path as a teacher.
“I wanted them to recognize the actual work, and that’s what’s so awesome (about the award),” he said. “That makes me feel better, because I know I’m doing what I’m supposed to do. I don’t crave recognition for the sake of recognition — I crave recognition for the sake of ‘let’s keep moving with this.’”
