Tag Archives: Early Education Teachers

Tabatha Rosproy garners 2020 National Teacher of the Year title

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Tabatha Rosproy of Winfield, Kansas, is the first early education teacher ever to garner National Teacher of the Year. (Photo credit: The Collegiate)

Congratulations to Tabatha Rosproy, an educator from Winfield, Kansas, who has just been named the 2020 National Teacher of the Year! This talented and dedicated educator is the first early childhood teacher to garner the national honor in the program’s 68-year history.

Tabatha teaches at Cumbernauld Village, a public school located within Winfield retirement village and nursing home. Her classroom is an intergenerational program. This means her students interact daily with nursing home residents. Elderly members of the retirement community visit her classroom as grandparent volunteers. They read to the children one-on-one and assist with other classroom tasks.

Tabitha’s  program serves at-risk, special education, and typically developing preschoolers. Amazingly, Tabatha’s students have the highest preschool literacy and math scores in the school district. Since the program was inaugurated, Tabatha has noted a marked increase in her students’ literacy skills. In fact, her classroom boasts the highest preschool literacy and math scores in the district.

“It is the most joyful experience that you can imagine,” Tabatha told interviewers on the television show CBS This Morning. “They are connected to people who are older than them, who have different abilities, and it has built so much empathy in their hearts.”

Tabatha was selected from among four outstanding national finalists The other three finalists were Chris Dier, a Louisiana high school history teacher who engages students around identity and culture; Leila Kubesch, an Ohio middle school Spanish teacher who advocates for foster youth who age out of the system; and Linda Rost, a high school science teacher in rural Montana whose students have excelled in national and international competitions.

To read more about this amazing chalkboard champion, see the story published online by The Collegiate. Below, see the full interview CBS This Morning recorded with Tabatha.

Preschool Special Ed teacher Rebecca Vitelli named Delaware’s 2020 State Teacher of the Year

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Preschool Special Education teacher Rebecca Vitelli named Delaware’s 2020 State Teacher of the Year.

Congratulations to Rebecca Vitelli, who has just been named Delaware’s 2020 State Teacher of the Year. This remarkable educator is a preschool Special Education teacher in the Colonial School District.

Rebecca teaches at the Colonial Early Education Program in New Castle. Her youngsters deal with autism, cognitive challenges, and health issues. Rebecca says she strives to be inclusive in her teaching. She firmly believes that every students has the drive and the ability to learn.

“Teachers must remain consciously present listeners and encouragers,” declares Rebecca. “Many of my students begin school without the ability to speak. However, this in no way means they have nothing to say. We teach children to express themselves in a multitude of ways. We show them that communication is powerful, and that others will listen and value what they have to share,” she continued.

Rebecca came from a family of educators. Bother her parents are teachers. She earned both her Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and her Master’s degree in Education at the University of Delaware. Her career has spanned only four years, but already her work has captured the attention of state-level educators.

Rebecca was selected out of a group of 20 teachers, one from each district and one from a Delaware charter school. As this year’s honoree, she will receive a $5,000 grant to use for the educational benefit of her students, and two personal grants totaling an additional $5,000.

Read more about the remarkable Rebecca Vitelli at this link: Delaware’s State government website. Take a look at the short video below where Rebecca shares her philosophy of learning.