To compete, nominees must submit lesson plans, letters of recommendation and essays. Finalists also are interviewed and videotaped while teaching. After graduating from Wake Forest in 1978, Hancock began working with disabled students. She continued working with challenged students, including those with mental and emotional disabilities, until 1984 when she joined the faculty at Ravenscroft School, an independent K-12 school in Raleigh. As a first-grade teacher, Hancock is more used to the daily rewards presented by curious children, such as caterpillars and other interesting finds.
Young children enter the academic world with all the attitudes and values to be successful learners.
They enter their early childhood years trusting that at any moment a door will open and let in the future. They will move on, and I believe a good teacher will be left smiling, and holding the key. Malenkos shares Hancock's zeal for teaching. A love of literature and an affinity for high school students led Malenkos into the classroom. Malenkos began her career in 1975 after she graduated with a bachelor's degree in English from Wake Forest.