Leah Joy-Oberg
Mountain View Elementary
2011 Santa Cruz County Teacher of the Year!

My ideas of what makes me an outstanding teacher is that I continue to be a learner. I spend a considerate amount of time thinking about and researching the best approaches to teaching kids how to read. I freely and often share my thoughts and findings with the paraprofessionals in STAR, the classroom teachers, our literacy coach, and our principals. Through these conversations, I am affecting the belief systems of the staff at my school which means more adults are positively affecting more kids.

Catherine Parker Coatimundi Middle School 2011 Santa Cruz County Teacher of the Year Runner Up!

I like to think that I am helping my student build a strong platform of understanding so that they are both sturdy in the moment and able to build future structure upon it. And by standing on this platform, they can look ahead to see the new learning on their horizon.