Teachers Honored for Devotion to Students
Two Valley teachers were honored Wednesday for their excellence in classroom instruction and commitment to student success.
Joy Burton, who teaches biological and health sciences at John A. Sutter Middle School in Winnetka, and Jennifer Jones, a language arts teacher and coordinator of the technology program at Pacoima Middle School, were two of five Los Angeles Unified School District teachers to win the PacifiCare Middle School Teacher of the Year award.
“Middle school teachers have one of the most important jobs in our community today,” said Brad Bowlus, president of PacifiCare of California. “They have the responsibility of shaping today’s students into tomorrow’s leaders.”
A panel of business and education professionals selected the honorees from hundreds of nominations submitted by fellow teachers. The award is based on excellence in classroom instruction, dedication to student success and improvement, years of service and attendance. Each nominated teacher also wrote an essay.
In her essay, Burton, who has taught for more than 20 years, said she thinks the true value of teaching is to shape, equip and prepare young people to be productive citizens who will be capable of running the country.
Jones, who was involved in establishing her school’s computer program, said she thinks that technology is the perfect tool for educators to use to step down from the podium and join students as co-learners.
Other honored teachers included Kelorah M. Franklin from Horace Mann Middle School in South Los Angeles; Irma Macias from Gage Middle School in Huntington Park, and Constance Vandergriff from Mark Twain Middle School in Culver City.
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