One of our own is National Teacher of the Year

In case you missed it, an ELA teacher has just been named NATIONAL TEACHER OF THE YEAR. Her name is Rebecca Mieliwocki and she teaches 7th grade English in Burbank, California.

Ain’t no doubt that Rebecca rocks. However, unlike so many other things American, this isn’t really a competition of “who is the best teacher” because such a contest would be silly and run counter to the spirit of the profession. The National (and State) Teacher of the Year Programs are designed to recognize what educators do each day and shine a positive light on a challenging and very often under-appreciated job. Rebecca is an ambassador. She’s an emissary of English.

And how cool is it that she’ll be on the road all of next year traveling the nation advocating for kids, literacy, schools and so on?

Congrats, Rebecca! It’s nice to have a teacher make the news for the right reasons. I am sure you’ll do us all proud.