5 May 2000
The annual Teacher of the Year Social held May 2 at the Horticultural Center at Fair Park provided fun and drama for teacher representatives from each Dallas school. Ten semifinalists were selected, and before the event was over, the names of the five finalists who will compete for the district's Teacher of the Year title were announced. The winner, who will represent DISD in the Texas Teacher of the Year contest, will be announced in the fall. The event's sponsor is the Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce of Dallas/Fort Worth.
The names of the finalists and a brief excerpt from their entry are printed.
"My greatest contribution as an educator is making students aware of their own abilities."
Victoria D. Farris, English teacher, Moises Molina High School. A DISD teacher since 1985, Farris consistently implements a variety of effective teaching strategies to help all her students succeed. During the 1998-99 school year, 85% of her students pass the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS). She has been credited with encouraging students who may not feel confident and who hesitate to participate in class. Farris has 14 years of experience as a teacher. "My real reward is when a student tells me that he or she has acquired useful knowledge in my class and was prepared for his/her next level of English," says Farris. "Several have returned to tell me that they would like to become a teacher. That is my greatest reward, having a student want to follow in my footsteps as an educator."
"I realized after several years in corporate America that balance sheets, income statements, journal entries and audit reports was not for me."
Alan Nguyen, math teacher, (PK-6), Cesar Chavez Learning Center. A native of Vietnam, Nguyen uses his childhood experiences to relate to those of the students he teaches, many of whom are children of immigrant parents. Nguyen has obtained an undergraduate degree in accounting and worked as a financial accountant for two years before entering the teaching profession. "I realized after several years in corporate America that balance sheets, income statements, journal entries and audit reports was not for me. The financial compensation was rewarding, but was not everything in life." Nguyen has taught first grade and fourth grade math and currently works as math demonstration teacher. Before joining the teaching profession, he tutored fifth grade ESL students and helped the school's administrative staff with Vietnamese translations.
"I remember that once we believed our teachers loved us, then we were ready to learn about what our teachers loved."
Shannon Orchard, science teacher, School for the Talented and Gifted at the Yvonne Ewell Townview Center. "I began teaching in the middle of a school year at a struggling, urban school," says Orchard. "In my two and one-half years at that school, enrollment in my Honors Anatomy and Physiology class increased from thirty students in January 1996 to 130 students for the 1997-1998 school year. Gradually, the high level of confidence students experienced in my class gave them the confidence to try Advanced Placement courses." Orchard has been a teacher for 4-1/2 years and enjoys taking in new challenges such as developing an Advanced Placement Environmental Science program at her school and taking students on interdisciplinary field trips.
"I would like to consider my most important contribution to education to be my students."
Jacqueline S. Payne,, second grade ESL teacher, Anne Frank Elementary, has 30 years of experience as a teacher. "My classroom is where magic happens," says Payne. "My students are free to be risk takers, stretch their wings and accomplish their goals." When asked about what she considers the major issues in education she is quick to point out the provision of fair and equal opportunities for all children to achieve maximum potential, sifting through trends to determine which methods and materials will help students the most, and meeting the increasingly diverse needs of the student population and of the communities the school serves.
"My goal is to bring back unity in the community by connecting the classrooms and businesses through movement."
Rhonda L. Rutherford, Greiner Middle School, physical education teacher, grades 7-8. Among the characteristics that make Rutherford a unique educator is the way she has integrated different approaches to develop the self-esteem and confidence of her students. She has enhanced the physical education curriculum by adding a dietary food strand focusing on eating healthy for life. Rutherford also sponsors several sports activities which involve students, parents and staff and she is very active in promoting the importance of physical education through the district and state.