Dr. Frances L. Hatzopoulos
2006 Teacher of the Year

Schools are like airport hubs; student passengers arrive from many different backgrounds for widely divergent destinations. Their particular takeoffs into learning will demand different flight plans. (Levine and Tomlinson, 2002)

"I have had the opportunity to journey with a diverse student population that includes gifted, twice-exceptional, and underachieving. This diverse class population extended the challenge for me as a teacher. It caused me to ask profound questions of myself: Do I intend to teach each child individually? What are their strengths and interests (rather than how can they be labeled)? What can I do to ensure that all students work at their highest level and find their work respectful and powerful? What can I do to help all students access the curriculum? This daunting quest resonates with my belief that all children can learn in a differentiated classroom. To meet this challenge I have explored multiple resources and strategies while adapting and expanding my ways of thinking and learning. Like the airport with its diverse passengers, these experiences have taught me to be a stronger advocate of students’ unique differences in a classroom."

Dr. Frances L. Hatzopoulos
Grade 2 Integrated Gifted, Old Donation Center
2006 Virginia Beach City Public Schools Teacher of the Year

Dr. Frances Hatzopoulos has been teaching for 17 years in the Virginia Beach City Public Schools. She taught third grade at Plaza Elementary from 1987 to 2000 and is currently a second-grade teacher at Old Donation Center. Dr. Hatzopoulos earned a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education and reading from Longwood College, a Master of Education degree in administration and supervision and a Doctorate of Education from The George Washington University, and a Gifted Education Endorsement from The University of Virginia.

Dr. Hatzopoulos also serves as a Mentor Teacher for beginning teachers and has been actively involved on VBCPS leadership teams such as School Planning Councils, Language Arts Action Teams, and Gifted Curriculum Committees. In addition, she teaches staff professional development courses such as Non-Fiction Reading Content Strategies, Scaffolding for the Twice-Exceptional Learner, and Using Kaplan to Build Depth and Complexity in the Differentiated Classroom. She is a member of numerous professional organizations such as The National Association for Gifted Children, The Delta Kappa Gamma Honor Society for Women Educators, and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Dr. Hatzopolous has been recognized as a Model Teacher for the About Face Program and was also named Old Donation Center Reading Teacher of the Year for 2002-03.