Long Beach : 2 Chosen Teachers of Year

Veteran teachers Joan Reedy and Marcia Tyra are about to receive a much-deserved apple. On Dec. 19, both will be honored as the 1989 Long Beach Unified School District Teachers of the Year.

Tyra is a third-grade teacher at Cleveland Elementary School, and Reedy is a physical education teacher and department head at Lindbergh Junior High School. Both women emphasize that children must feel good about themselves before they can feel good about school and learning.

Tyra, who has taught in the district for 31 years, said: “When they are happy and self-confident, children learn. They feel that way in my classroom. Learning is fun. No answer or attempt is ever ridiculed. Every child is teachable. Each one gets plenty of opportunities to succeed--and they do.”

Reedy, a teacher for 23 years, said that “self-esteem is an important part of success.” She said she finds “something that each student can do to be special.”

“Every student in the school is every teacher’s responsibility,” Reedy said. “I organize activities to bring out positive behavior. I try to help my students by setting a good example and showing such qualities as patience, understanding, trustworthiness and enthusiasm about work.”