Nominations are now open for the 2016 Vermont Teacher of the Year program. The public is being invited to join Vermont educators ingoing online to directly nominate teachersfor the prestigious statewide distinction; the winner serves as an advocate for Vermont’s teachers, students, and education system.
Nominations can be completed through April 10 at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TOY2016. To encourage more submissions, the process has been simplified to require only the most basic information about the nominator, the nominee, and their school, as well as a short overview of what makes the nominee an extraordinary teacher.
“Public education is the foundation of democracy, and it is our moral imperative to make it available to every child, starting in the formative years. We need to fully fund early childhood education, close the opportunity gap, and provide equal access to a foundation of success for all children,” said Rebecca Haslam, 2015 Vermont Teacher of the Year.“Especially in an age of vast inequity, we need to prepare our young people to be able to participate in a democratic society and meet future challenges that await them with strength of character, confidence, and a sense of justice. In order to stop the perpetuation of underachievement of students of color, we need to own the gap.”
To be considered for the Vermont Teacher of the Year program, a teacher must hold a current Vermont teaching license, with a minimum of five years teaching experience, and be employed by a Vermont public, private, or approved independent school.
Vermont’s current Teacher of the Year is Rebecca Haslam, a Champlain Elementary School teacher and District Social Studies and Equity Curriculum Coach for grades K-5.
Source: Vermont Agency of Education. 3.10.2015 For more information about the Vermont Teacher of the Year program, visit http://education.vermont.gov/department/awards/teacher-of-the-year. Twitter (https://twitter.com/VTEducation), Facebook (www.facebook.com/VTEducation), and YouTube (www.youtube.com/VTEducation).