Making a Difference

Ingrid Boydston reminds us all how magical a good teacher can be. The sixth-grade teacher at Santa Clarita Elementary School was honored last month as a California Teacher of the Year. She was one of just five selected statewide--and the only one from Los Angeles County.

Boydston moved to Southern California to pursue an acting career and served as a substitute teacher to help make ends meet. Soon, the classroom became her stage as she recognized the impact she had on young minds. “I did it and I fell in love with it,” Boydston said of teaching. “It just truly has to do with making a difference.”

Indeed it does. And Boydston expects that her students will someday make a difference in their world. Her “golden rule” is displayed in gold and black letters on a classroom wall: Your life is what you make of it, so make it the best you can.”

Boydston’s honor highlights how teachers with energy, dedication and a true love for children can change a child’s life. She and the other four honorees selected by Supt. of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin represent the best of the state’s teaching ranks. But they are also emblematic of the unrecognized thousands who spend their days--and often their nights and weekends--sharing the best parts of themselves with kids.

Public honors are wonderful ways to recognize talent and passion. But as Boydston herself points out, the greatest rewards come not in the form of plaques or banquets, but in those flashes when students conquer a problem, solve an equation and tackle new subjects.