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Teacher of Year program
invites additional districts to participate
It’s that time again…time
to begin the 2005 South Dakota Teacher of the Year (TOY) program! If your
district hasn’t participated before, we urge you to join this exciting program
this year. Through the TOY program, your district acknowledges and lauds the
teachers in your lives who use gold-standard methods.
How do we participate
in the program? First, your district
must organize a nominating group. The group will request nominations, gather
the applications, and ultimately select your district’s TOY. Therefore, your
nomination group should be as diverse as possible. Here are some suggestions
for group members to help you.
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One
superintendent/administrator.
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One school board member.
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One principal for each
1,000 students enrolled.
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President
of the local education organization.
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One member of the local
chamber of commerce.
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One at-large community
representative (perhaps from an organization that “honors” teachers in some
way).
-
President of the local
PTA and one additional member.
-
President
of the local association of classroom teachers and one additional teacher
for each 1,000 students enrolled.
-
Student body
president/student council officers/representatives.
So just how does the
nominee selection process work? Your
district nomination group will announce your local TOY—the method used is
decided locally—sometime prior to August 1. Once the announcement has been
made, your local TOY may then submit his or her application to the Department
of Education for entry into the competition for the state TOY no later than
August 1. Finally, the educator chosen as the state TOY becomes a candidate
for the national TOY competition.
How do I know if the
educator I wish to nominate has the qualities of a TOY?
The goal of the TOY program is to recognize the contributions of classroom
teachers and to emphasize their vital link to the educational process. In
addition, these educators will represent
South Dakota and potentially our nation, so each TOY candidate should:
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Be an exceptionally
skilled and dedicated teacher from a state-approved or accredited school,
pre-kindergarten through grade twelve;
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Be planning to continue
in an active teaching status (supervisory and administrative
responsibilities are secondary considerations);
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Have the respect and
admiration of students, parents, and colleagues;
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Play an active and
useful role in the community as well as in the school;
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Be poised, articulate,
and have the energy to withstand the demanding schedule that would accompany
selection as the state TOY; and
- Most importantly,
have a superior ability to inspire students of ALL backgrounds and abilities
to learn.
How do we submit a
nomination? You can get a copy of
the 2005 TOY application online at
http://www.state.sd.us/deca/OPA/Distinguished%20Educators/TOY/toyapp.doc. Each nominee should
complete an application in full and submit it to your district nominations
group. However, should your district not have a nominations group, and
therefore no local TOY program, the application can be sent directly to Nicole
Kranzler at the Office of Accreditation & Teacher Quality, 700 Governors
Drive, Pierre, SD 57501 or emailed to
nicole.kranzler@state.sd.us for entry into the state TOY program.
Ultimately, all TOY applications must be submitted to Nicole Kranzler
no later than August 1, 2004,
in order to be eligible for the state TOY program.
How do I found out more
about the TOY program? Check out our
Department of Education website
http://www.state.sd.us/deca/OPA/Distinguished%20Educators/TOY/toyapp.doc. The Council of Chief State
School Officers (CCSSO), which manages the national TOY program, also has a
TOY website,
http://www.ccsso.org/Projects/National_Teacher_of_the_Year/. If you still
have questions, feel free to contact Nicole Kranzler via email at
nicole.kranzler@state.sd.us or by phone at 605-773-3426. |
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