ABC’s new Construction Education Academy is all about offering the industry’s very best training to change lives. But the best curriculum and state-of-the-art labs mean nothing without the best instructors.
As part of its efforts to achieve this goal, ABC has made hiring and supporting the best instructors a top priority. To help its 30 construction trade instructors be the best in the industry, ABC recently hired Michael Jarman, a master trainer who will provide ongoing instructor evaluations.
Jarman knows a thing or two about teacher evaluations. A former Baltimore county ‘Teacher of the Year’, he holds a master in education from Johns Hopkins and spent 11 years as a K-12 teacher, most recently teaching high school biology. Not only has he learned about ways to get the best from students, he’s put those tips into practice during his own teaching career.
In December 2020, Jarman kicked off the first of what will become twice-yearly instructor evaluations. Under normal circumstances, he will sit in on one class for each instructor each semester, to observe their strengths and areas of improvement. Because ABC instructors are still teaching most courses over Zoom, Jarman recorded two Zoom sessions for each, allowing them to choose which session they wanted evaluated.
As part of his role, Jarman also provides instructors ongoing support to make their teaching experience the best it can be, both for them and their students.
ABC instructors are encouraged to use Jarman as a resource. He can be reached at mjarman@secure.abcbaltimore.org.