Tag Archives: Language Arts Teachers

Teachers who specialized in Language Arts.

Kelsey Stoyanova named Maine’s 2022 Teacher of the Year

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Middle school Language Arts teacher Kelsey Stoyanova of Maine has been named her state’s 2022 Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: Maine Department of Education

It is always a pleasure to share stories about talented educators who have earned accolades for their work in the classroom. One of these is Kelsey Stoyanova, a middle school teacher from Hamden, Maine. Sara has been named her state’s 2022 Teacher of the Year.

Kelsey teaches eighth grade Language Arts and reading at Reeds Brook Middle School in Regional School Unit 22 in Hamden. In her classroom, the honored educator places emphasis on developing relationships with her students. “Relationships are everything,” she asserts. “Form relationships with kids, with colleagues, with the community. Work on trying to be your best self and when you are your best self, the people around you are their best selves too,” she continues.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Kelsey serves as the middle-level Language Arts curriculum leader, working to create and align the curriculum for middle schools throughout her district. She also served on the Equity in Education committee where she designed and implemented her district’s Reads Three Reading Challenge for both students and community members. The committee works to highlight authors and characters of color, women in literature, Asian American/Pacific Islander voices, Hispanic-Latinx award winning titles, Native American heritage, and LGBTQ authors and characters.

Kelsey’s Teacher of the Year honors are not the only accolades she has earned. She garnered the title of 2021 Penobscot County Teacher of the Year. In addition, she was selected as a grant recipient by the Book Love Foundation in 2020.

Kelsey earned her Bachelor’s degree in English Secondary Education and her Master’s degree in Education with a focus on Literature, both from the University of Maine. She also participated in the Maine Writing Project, a summer professional development and leadership institute for writers and writing teachers that is part of the National Writing Project.

You can learn more about this Chalkboard Champion at University of Maine News.

Natalia Benjamin named Minnesota’s 2022 Teacher of the Year

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ESL and ethnic studies educator Natalia Alvarez Benjamin has been named Minnesota’s 2022 State Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: BYU Magazine

I always enjoy sharing stories about exceptional educators who have earned recognition for their work in the classroom. One of these is Natalia Alvarez Benjamin, a high school English teacher who has been named Minnesota’s 2022 State Teacher of the Year.

Natalia teaches high school English as a Second Language and ethnic studies at Century High School in Rochester, Minnesota, to students in grades 9-12. She has taught there since 2015. In her work as an educator, she is passionate about increasing the opportunities for her minority students, and she dedicates her considerable energies to important issues such as pedagogy, cultural identity, and heritage speakers.

In her work with students, Natalia is a passionate advocate for her students of color. In fact, she is a member of the program known as Facing Inequities and Racism in Education – Racial Equity Advocates (FIRE-REA). Through this program, the honored educator has worked on cultural competency training. In addition, she is a member of several organizations that support teachers and students, including Education Minnesota’s League of Latinx Educators and Rochester Schools’ employees of color resource group. She also represents her district in the Rochester Education Association and serves on the Women’s Issues Committee for the National Education Association.

Natalia was born and raised in Guatemala. Spanish is her first language, but as a young girl, she attended a French school, so she learned to speak, read, and write in French. “My personal experiences with languages created a passion and appreciation for multiple languages and cultures,” reveals Natalia. “Many of my students are navigating new cultures and places. I hope that I can be a small part of their journey in succeeding as they follow their dreams,” she continues.

She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology and her Master’s degree in Language Acquisition, both from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.

 

Texas educator Cynthia Rios earns Outstanding Humanities Teacher award

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Cynthia Rios, an English at Faulk Middle School in Brownsville, Texas, earned an Outstanding Teaching of the Humanities Award in 2021. Photo Credit: Brownsville Independent School District

There are many exceptional educators working in American schools, and I am always delighted to share the stories of some of them. Today, I’d like to introduce you to Texas teacher Cynthia Rios, who earned an Outstanding Teaching of the Humanities Award in 2021 from the organization Humanities Texas.

Cynthia earned her Bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary studies at the University of Texas, Brownsville. She earned her Master’s degree in Curriculum Instruction with a concentration in Digital Literacy at the University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley. She currently teaches reading and English /Language Arts at Faulk in Brownsville, Texas, since 2018. Her career as an educator spans eight years.

The honored educator emphasizes technology skills and digital literacy in her curriculum. “One of my goals when developing lessons has always been to engage students with 21st century activities that promote student learning through communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity with the use of educational technologies,” declares Cynthia. “I strive to increase their digital literacy and give them opportunities to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways,” she continues. “I believe that by developing students’ literacy, we can support their ability to critically read and navigate our ever-changing world,” she concludes.

For her work as an educator and a teacher-leader in the Brownsville Independent School District, Cynthia has earned the respect of her supervisors and colleagues. “What defines (Cynthia) as a great teacher goes beyond her content knowledge and skills,” asserts Benita Villarreal, Principal of Faulk Middle School. “She takes personal responsibility for her students’ success, and (they) know that she cares because she takes the time and energy to create technology-based, student-centered lessons that bring real-life experiences into the classroom.”

Humanities Texas presents annual awards to encourage excellence in teaching and to recognize Texas teachers who have made exemplary contributions to teaching, curriculum development, and extracurricular programming. Each recipient receives a $5,000 cash prize plus an additional $1,000 to spend on instructional materials for students. Cynthia was one of just 15 teachers who were selected from the more than 600 Texas teachers who were nominated. 

To read more about Cynthia Rios, see this article published by UTRGV, the University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley.

Ohio’s Leila Kubesch a 2022 inductee into the National Teachers Hall of Fame

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Leila Kubesch, a middle school educator from  Norwood, Ohio, has just been inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame. Photo Credit: speaker hub

I always enjoy sharing stories about exemplary educators who have earned recognition for their work in the classroom. One of these is Leila Kubesch, a teacher from Norwood, Ohio, who has been inducted into the  National Teachers Hall of Fame (NTHF). She is one of five educators who has been inducted for the year 2022.

Leila teaches Spanish and English as a second language at Norwood Middle School in Norwood, a suburb of Cincinnati. As part of her instructional program, Leila organizes community service projects. For one project, her students created a talk show for a local television station where community members discussed topics of interest to young people. For that project, Leila and her students garnered the Ohio Education Association Media Award for Public Service. They also received a grant to expand their studio.

For another project, Laila secured a grant for a performing arts project. She guided her students in the creation of a display made of cut-out hands laminated on burlap sacks that stretched more than 100 feet. The project was so well-received that a special exhibit featuring the display opened at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Downtown Cincinnati.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Leila embraces an impassioned ideology of equity and social justice that extends beyond the walls of her school. She has served as an advocate for emancipated foster youth in Ohio, and has delivered speeches to large audiences including TedXCincinnati, where she won the Audience Choice Award for her talk. She worked diligently to help pass House Bill 50, legislation that enables foster youth in Ohio to have a home until age 21.

Not only has Leila been inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame, but she has also earned many other accolades. In 2020, she was named Ohio state’s Teacher of the Year and the National Toyota Family Teacher of the Year. In 2021, she garnered an NEA Horace Mann Award for Teaching Excellence and an NEA Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence. In 2000, she earned a Fulbright Hays Fellowship.

Well done, Leila!
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Brittany Brown recognized as one of five finalists for Florida’s 2022 Teacher of the Year

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Brittany Brown, an elementary school teacher from Florida, has been recognized in her state as one of five finalists for the state Teacher of the Year in 2021. Photo Credit: spirit.saintleo.edu

I always enjoy sharing stories about exceptional educators who serve as role models for exemplary teaching. One of these is Brittany Brown, an elementary school teacher from Florida who has been recognized in her state as one of five finalists for the state Teacher of the Year in 2021.

Brittany teaches third and fourth grade English language arts at Wildwood Elementary School in Sumter County. Her co-workers describe her as passionate about supporting her students academically through the positive relationships she has built with each of them. In addition, she established the Reading Superstars program to recognize students who have made outstanding gains in reading. Brittany serves as the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) site member for her school, and also as their English/Language Arts representative to the District.

The honored educator says she emphasizes reading skills in her classroom instruction. “Reading is—and I tell my kids—reading is the way it’s your way out of any situation. You have to be able to read and comprehend in order to be successful,” Brittany asserts. “It’s one of those things that many kids don’t like. Unfortunately, they aren’t really exposed to reading at early ages. And so it’s just something that they have to learn to love to do,” she continues. “And so I feel like my job is to help them foster that love for reading, like make them feel like it’s just something that’s just super cool, something they need to do. But I think is really important,” she concludes.

Brittany earned her Bachelor’s degree in Family and Community Services in 2011 from the University of Florida and her Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership and Administration in 2015 from Saint Leo University in Saint Leo, Florida.

This year’s five 2022 Teacher of the Year state finalists were selected from over 185,000 excellent public school teachers throughout Florida. The other four finalists were Jim Schmitt of Duval County, Sarah Ann Painter of Pinellas County, Kari Johnson of Sarasota County, and Frank Garaitonandia of Volusia County. The 2022 Florida Teacher of the Year will be officially named on July 22 in Orlando.