A screenshot of the YouTube episode “Prim in the Gym reads Cat in the Hat,” which is a pandemic-era video featuring veteran education teacher Valerie Prim that was produced by Yadkin County Schools Teacher of the Year Michael Dorman.
When Yadkinville Elementary School physical education teacher Michael Dorman heard his name announced as Yadkin County Schools District Teacher of the Year, he barely believed it.
“I was shocked,” he said. “I was shocked even to be named teacher of the year at my school. There’s a lot of great teachers there.”
Maybe he wasn’t tracking his views on YouTube.
Throughout the pandemic, Dorman produced and posted a couple dozen videos to help keep students active at home, and also integrated initiatives of other teachers such as combining math skills with workouts and creating episodes starring teachers reading popular books.
Episodes include: “Halloween Workout,” “Jungle Math Escape,” and “Prim in the Gym reads Cat in the Hat,” in which veteran physical education teacher Valerie Prim is dressed up as Cat in the Hat, with a mask that mimics the main character’s mouth and a video-produced background of Dr. Seuss-land graphics.
Dorman grew up in Pfafftown in Forsyth County and attended High Point University, earning a degree in health and physical education.
“My high school soccer coach was a big influence on me, and he actually taught elementary P.E., so it was always an idea of mine to get into teaching because of that and the impact he had on me,” Dorman said. “I had other ideas on my mind of what to do – I enjoyed business classes … but I did summer camps where I got to work with kids of all different ages, and that made me want to teach instead of going into business.”
Dorman has been a teacher for five years, but he did get to dabble in the business world after all. He spent his first three years teaching at West Wilkes Middle School, then took a break for two and a half years, when he got married and also moved to the San Francisco area to help with his father’s Krispy Kreme franchise.
“It was a big change me,” Dorman said. “My dad actually came to me and said he needed a manager to be in charge of training and development.”
Dorman said he really enjoyed the experience, and the greatest challenge was learning to deal with emergencies in the business world. After a couple years, he came back home and landed a job at Yadkinville Elementary.
As an elementary school physical education teacher, Dorman said the moments he finds most rewarding are when he sees “the ah-ha moment on a kid’s face when they finally get a skill or a task down.”
“One thing that happens nowadays is kids want that instant reward with iPhones and tablets,” said Dorman. “They say, ‘If I don’t get it right away, then I’m done.’”
But helping them work through those moments of frustration toward achievement are the most rewarding, he said, “whether it be setting a volleyball or throwing a ball and hitting a target.”
Dorman said that in his mind, he will share the honor of district Teacher of the Year with his colleagues.
“This year, of all years, I think all teachers deserve to be teacher of the year,” he said.
Lisa Michals may be reached at 336-448-4968 or follow her on Twitter @lisamichals3.