District Teacher of the Year!!!!

Okay, so Kristi will probably want to kill me when she sees this post, but I just have to brag on my teaching buddy. We had our district breakfast and awards ceremony yesterday to close out the year and guess who received the District Teacher of the Year award?

Kristi, that's who! :-)

There were several in our building that nominated her so we were waiting with anticipation yesterday morning to find out if she had been selected. I was getting stressed out because she kept having to go to the restroom (too much coffee, that is all I will say about that), and I was afraid she was going to miss the announcement. Then when they called her name, she says, "Do I have to go up there?" LOL!

Here's a few parts of the nomination letter I sent:

I will never forget the first time that I saw Kristi teaching. It was the spring of 2008, and I was observing various schools and classrooms in order to decide where I wanted to student teach. I watched that morning as students started filing into the classroom, each receiving a personal greeting and a hug. Then as Kristi began to teach with such animation and excitement, I knew that I wanted to learn from her.

As I think about what makes Kristi a great teacher, the first thing that comes to mind is her love for the kids. She takes the extra time necessary to truly foster a relationship with each of her students and bring out their best. Some in our building even call her “the child whisperer” because of her talent in the area of classroom management. Aside from that, Kristi works many extra hours searching for resources online that can make her lessons more exciting. She presents her lessons with such enthusiasm that the students are actively engaged – even during direct instruction.

Kristi would probably disagree with what I have written here. She is very humble and does not realize what a wonderful teacher she truly is – which makes her all the more deserving.

And I have to apologize for our lack of posts this last week. After the zoo trip, things just got a little crazy. I will say that I CRIED the last day of school as I was saying goodbye to the kiddos. I thought I could make it through the line, but then one of my sweeties told me a 5 minute story and I just couldn't hold on any longer! By the end of the line, I was crying so much I could barely talk. I really enjoyed this group and I'm going to miss them!

Today, I slept in until 8:00! My hubby and I do P90X every morning before work...last night, I told him he was on his own because I was sleeping in on my first day off. :-)

Have a great day!

Crystal