TUSTIN : Top Teacher a Versatile Educator

Diane Aust, who followed in her mother’s footsteps to become a teacher, has been voted Teacher of the Year by the Tustin Unified School District.

Aust, 50, competed against four other district teachers, who like herself were nominated by their school principals to vie for the annual award. Already she is gearing up for the county Teacher of the Year competition that will take place early in the fall.

What set her apart from her competitors, Aust said, is her extracurricular and community involvement. A few of her out-of-the-classroom activities include serving as adviser for her school’s Leadership Team, coordinating campus activities such as “Just Say No to Drugs” programs and developing a student advisory program.

“She has a lot of versatility in what she does,” said Aust’s husband, Gerry, who is an elementary school principal for the district. “She is not just centered on one segment of education.”

The Austs have been chaperons on the annual trip to Washington for eighth-graders for the past 16 years. And during the summer months, they continue their educational involvement by participating in student leadership programs for high school students organized by the California Assn. of Director of Activities.

Diane Aust first joined the district in 1965 when she taught at Columbus Tustin School. Between 1969 and 1979, she taught part time while raising two sons. When she returned to the district full time, she taught at Jeane Thorman Elementary, then Loma Vista Elementary for seven years. She moved on to Hewes Middle School in 1987, where this past school year she taught sixth grade. Aust will begin teaching eighth-grade history during the 1992-93 school year.

Despite her numerous years in the classroom, Aust said she still gets a charge from her profession. “It only takes one child during the school year to say, ‘This is the first time I’ve been good in math,’ then you know you’ve made a difference,” she said.

“Now what we need to do is keep the new teachers’ enthusiasm alive,” she added.

Aust admits that while she is challenged daily to find ways to teach each student, her concerns as a teacher are far-removed from those who teach in inner-city schools, many of whom are faced with overcrowded classrooms and low parental involvement.

This point was highlighted at a recent leadership conference in San Diego, when students had to define a problem at their campus and solve it. “Campus safety came up as a goal for many students . . . and here we are talking about recycling cans and white paper,” she said.

With this in mind, Aust said, she tries to instill in her students a sense of community involvement. “They need to know that there are people out there that are needy and that they can help in some way,” she said.