OKLA. CITY —
One of the best parts of my job is meeting teachers. Their passion and creativity inspires me everyday as I work for the children of our state.
This week I was fortunate enough to announce the 2013 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year finalists. Those of us in the ceremony had the opportunity to hear from each finalist about their practice of the profession and what their goals are for their students.
Cindy Bailey, a high school math teacher in Altus, said her goal is to give her best to her students so that in return she can pull out the highest effort in each of them.
Carol Brinsfield, an elementary reading teacher from Checotah, shares a mission I’m equally passionate about — teaching children to read to learn. As she urges children to accomplish as much as they can, she makes sure to have some fun.
Andrea Brock, a math teacher from Moore West Junior High, said her passion is to negate any math anxiety in her students while giving them the knowledge they need to move on to take higher math classes.
Marilynn Kellert, principal of Belle Isle Enterprise Middle School in Oklahoma City, spoke on behalf of science teacher Daniel Buckmaster. She said he doesn’t teach science; he inspires his students to become scientists in his classroom.
Kyle Cooper, a prekindergarten teacher from Coweta, encouraged educators to realize the power they have over shaping the lives of their students and to use their talents to better the lives of each child.
Tiffani Cooper, a high school English teacher from Owasso, said she sees the best results when her students see that she cares about them outside of the classroom. She loves it when they realize they’ve exceeded their expectations of learning.
Elaine Hutchison, a middle and high school math teacher from Fairview, stressed that it’s not the school building or fancy equipment that makes the difference in the life of a child but the inspirational teachers and adults that shape learning.
Lisa Lamont, a kindergarten teacher from Muskogee, said she walks into her classroom everyday with the goal of inspiring her children — even at this young age — to move toward being ready for college and careers and to being contributing members of their communities.
Kim Landers, a Spanish teacher from Deer Creek High School, said she works to make sure her students are ready to compete in the global society. She constantly asks herself if her students will get the job.
Lane Matheson, a science teacher from Tulsa’s Memorial High School and Engineering Academy, chose teaching as a second career after working for NASA on the International Space Station. She said she’s thrilled to help students get excited about STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) courses and careers.
Brenda Roberts, a third-grade teacher from Byng Public Schools, said she loves that teachers are empowering children to be lifelong learners and readers.
Lee Ann Stone, a kindergarten teacher in Woodward, calls school her “happy place.” She said she’s begged and borrowed ideas and strategies from others to help her achieve her best.
After hearing from these inspirational teachers, I know it will be tough for the state committee to choose this year’s ultimate winner. But with such passion on display, haven’t we all already won?
JANET BARRESI is Oklahoma state superintendent of public instruction.
Opinion
What winning teaching sounds like
- Opinion
-
-
Witnesses missing; Behenna case could be heard at Supreme Court
The film “Breaker Morant” was nominated for an Oscar for the best screenplay in 1980. It told the story of Harry “Breaker” Morant, an Australian who served in the British Army and was court-martialed for alleged war crimes during the Boer War in Southern Africa in the early years of the last century.
That conflict pitted the British Army against the descendants of the Dutch settlers who had migrated to what is now South Africa in the 17th and 18th centuries. The majority of them were farmers and in their language of Afrikaans were known as “Boers.” -
Don’t leave Oklahoma!
May is graduation season. As I have done every year as lieutenant governor, I have given multiple commencement speeches. Advice flows freely during this time and it usually runs the gamut. What to do, what not to do, how to do ‘x’, be sure not to do ‘y.’ Too often commencement speakers speak in big generalities. So general, the message is frequently lost or forgotten.
-
Last-minute funding proposals not in state’s best interest
All indications point to this being the last week of this year’s legislative session. The Legislature will go home a week early. This is good news for Oklahomans as not only will there be cost savings but all Oklahomans should breathe a sigh of relief when the Legislature stops making new laws a week ahead of schedule.
As usual, the Legislature will take a number of important votes during the last week. Some will be forced due to attempts to introduce and pass far-reaching, new policies that should have been introduced much earlier in the year. -
BY THE NUMBERS: Oklahoma still needs to invest in its economy
After six months of stagnation, the Oklahoma economy finally appears to be expanding again albeit still weakly. Unfortunately, our leaders aren’t making the investments we need to give our economic prospects a boost.
Last week the Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services reported that in April state General Revenue fund collections were 5.2 percent above the estimate and 14.7 percent higher than last year’s collections. Under normal circumstances, such a report would indicate that the Oklahoma economy was very strong. But this isn’t a normal circumstance, and April isn’t a normal month. -
Americans deserve the truth on Benghazi
Lately, the media has been consumed by the controversies surrounding the White House. Among these controversies is the horrific terrorist attack on the United States’ diplomatic compound in Benghazi that took place Sept. 11, 2012. As more people come forward with additional information regarding the attack on the consulate, many Americans, including myself, are still asking for the truth.
The Obama Administration and the State Department have been less than forthcoming with key information on Benghazi and recent information points toward a major cover-up. -
Seizure of AP phone records insult to independent press
Distrust of government secrecy has been elevated to an exceptional level with the disclosure the Justice Department covertly examined two months of Associated Press phone records to determine who leaked details to the AP about a foiled terrorist plot.
-
HEY HINK: Some people just are not cut out for command
Recent headlines cause me to remember an incident that occurred on an army base some years ago. Warning here: I’m taking some liberties with names and details, but the basic outline of events is accurate.
A certain company commander, let’s call him Captain Duntz, had command of a motor pool on a large army base in the continental U.S. -
We’ve become our own worst enemies
The past couple months have been marked by a seeming unprecedented number of man-made tragedies, as distinct from those caused by violent outbursts of the natural world, such as earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis.
You don’t want to dwell too long on the negative, but we do have to take notice of horrific human events and we owe it to ourselves to respond to them in some way. We don’t always agree on those responses, however, and that usually exacerbates the problem. -
Let’s reimburse higher ed for remediation costs
The good news: Oklahoma schools are teaching phonics. The bad news: It’s in college.
Students at Tulsa Community College, for example, can take a college English course called “Spelling and Phonics,” which “helps students master basic spelling literacy, principles of phonics and decoding skills.”
This sort of higher education brings to mind former Boston University president John Silber’s quip: “Higher than what?” -
AGAINST THE GRAIN: Department of Commerce highlights Main Street successes
The 24th annual Oklahoma Main Street Awards Banquet was at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum last week. Oklahoma Department of Commerce Secretary Dave Lopez addressed the gathering, and spoke of how the Commerce Department works with Main Street organizations throughout the state that are working to improve their downtown areas. Lopez pointed out that the partnership between his department and those local organizations has brought new life to those communities and that the attendees would see some of that revitalization in a video presentation. Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin also addressed the gathering, and said the Main Street program has resulted in more than $1 billion in investments in the state and more than 1 million volunteer hours in its 24 years of operation.
- More Opinion Headlines
-
Witnesses missing; Behenna case could be heard at Supreme Court
