For Brittany Jakubowski, teaching is more than just a job, it's a celebration.

Jakubowski, a sixth and eighth-grade English and Language Arts teacher at Catonsville Middle School, has been named Baltimore County Public Schools' Teacher of the Year.

"I have a lot of fun at work," Jakubowski said. "A lot more fun than I would be doing something else."

Inside the classroom

A graduate of Perry Hall High School and Towson University, Jakubowski is known to her students as "Ms. Jak" and is widely praised for her vibrant classroom energy and student-centered approach.

Inside her classroom, students are encouraged to speak up, think critically, and embrace who they are.

"This is not the time for silence," Jakubowski told a recent sixth-grade class. "We get to be loud here. We get to talk to each other about what you think has already happened and what's happening right now."

"We're building empathetic humans"

Jakubowski's teaching style is grounded in fostering confidence and empathy.

"We're building empathetic humans — humans who care about other people and can take time to celebrate what makes us different, instead of pointing it out as a negative," Jakubowski explained.

Her students say that the impact is clear.

"Sometimes people might think they shouldn't share [their identity] and keep that all in," said Langston Powell, an eighth-grader. "But it brings out everybody and everything about everybody."

Influence beyond the classroom

Jakubowski's influence extends beyond the classroom.

She has spearheaded initiatives at Catonsville Middle that promote student culture, self-esteem, and post-secondary awareness, including college visits and leadership programs.

"We're building sisterhood and empowerment," Jakubowski said. "We're taking field trips, we're visiting colleges, and just showing them what can happen after school."

No surprise to her students

To Jakubowski's students, her recent honor came as no surprise.

"I knew it wouldn't be any other teacher," Powell said. "You could just feel that when you're in her class."

For Powell, the benefits of Jakubowski's teaching style are deep-reaching.

"I would just tell her thank you," Powell added. "Because she's really allowed me to bring out myself and be more of myself. I'm definitely going to tell her first that it all started here."

Sixth-grader Mia Kalwa echoed that sentiment.

"It feels like a party every day, and it's just so much fun to be around her," Kalwa said.

When asked about the award, Jakubowski said she felt it was a win for the entire school.

"I feel like I was winning that for all of us," she said. "It felt good to be supported — and to know that I was putting my school and my county on the map."

Jakubowski and her colleagues recently hosted the school's sixth-annual Diversity Fair, where students presented and shared pieces of their cultures with the wider school community.

"I always knew I was cool," Jakubowski said. "But to hear it from middle schoolers? That's something special."