2005 Teacher of the Year Finalists

Laurel Ann Swenson
Third Grade, College Park Elementary

"When it came time to assess my third graders with the Virginia SOL test last spring, I was much more nervous than the children were. I knew that I had delivered every objective as passionately as I would have wanted it delivered to me. I gave the students every opportunity for success. The reward came when I received a phone call while on vacation in the mountains of Vermont. Not only had my students exceeded the projected score, the entire school had become accredited! My entire family shared in the joy because they knew that I had made an uneasy decision to move out of my comfort zone of second grade into a state-tested grade level. That decision affirmed my purpose. I am a teacher and I have a passion to teach children."

Sherry L. Trach
Fourth Grade, W. T. Cooke Elementary

"Teaching means motivating a student to want to be better, to succeed, and to excel in class…and in life. In my classroom we do both, while reviewing for a test or checking homework, we are also going over essential social skills such as greeting, praising, and coaching. These social skills are vital for becoming a success in the workplace today. Being a teacher means being much more than being a person who instructs students about specific subject matter. Teachers are role models, mentors, counselors, and coaches who inspire students and strive to bring out the best in every child."

John M. Merritt
English, Floyd E. Kellam High School

"Being a good teacher is hard work, but it's hard work that has innumerable rewards! I feel honored and blessed to be a part of each of my students' lives. I feel personally responsible for their educational growth in my class, and because of this, I take my mission very seriously. I use many means and wear many hats in order to accomplish my mission. I am an entertainer. I am a coach. I am a student. I am an advertiser… I believe that better informed students, parents, and colleagues result in better learning. To spread the word about the happenings in English 09, I constantly communicate with parents through phone calls, e-mails, conferences, and my class website. In class, we celebrate students' personal triumphs and console each other during difficulties. When I have developed a particularly good assignment or unit, I share it with my colleagues in hopes that I'll indirectly help their students. Every day I'm in the classroom, even my face advertises how much I love my job. I'm a billboard for the teaching profession."

Meyon Elizabeth Burns
Special Education, Ocean Lakes High School

"My belief is that every student is unique, possessing talents, individual personal experiences, and cultural attributes which they bring to the classroom. All children are capable of achievement - academically and interpersonally - if instruction is individualized with an effort made to draw relevance to the student's life. I feel that my role as teacher is twofold - as coach and as mentor. A coach recognizes the importance of group dynamics while utilizing the strengths of the individual. A mentor acts as a role model who teaches values and citizenship."