You guys. I won. I won the WCPS Teacher of the Year for 2020-21. I.WON.TEACHER.OF.THE.YEAR. Who... how... what... I can't .... yeah. So that happened. I'm in shock and disbelief. That ACTUALLY happened. Here's the proof: Typically the TOY ceremony is an evening event at the local country club. This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were under very specific guidelines of no more than 10 people at a time together. We had to keep our physical distance from one another, wear a mask at all times unless we were on camera, and all the facilities were sanitized before and after the event. The entire event felt surreal. To say that I am honored is an understatement. I am just one of more than 1,800 teaching staff within WCPS, all of whom work hard to create the best learning experiences possible for our kids. I'm a library media specialist - the second one ever within WCPS to honored with this title. The first was Mrs. Pam Rubisch, currently the LMS at Rockland Woods Elementary. I had to get my picture taken with her! What an honor to represent the library media department for WCPS! As author Neil Gaiman said, our future "depends on libraries, reading, and daydreaming." I couldn't agree more, and I am proud to have been selected to represent WCPS during these uncertain times. I was awarded $1,000.00 for being a finalist and $5,000.00 for being the winner! I can't wait to select new and innovative materials for my classroom! WOW! I also received a year's worth of Chick-Fil-A meals, a variety of technology gifts from Sprint, and the use of a 2020 Honda Accord for one year from Hagerstown Honda! Can you believe this? I can't! The Herald Mail Newspaper ran a story on the front page, and WDVM called me for an interview (below). It's all surreal! None of this could have been possible without my amazing husband, Ben. He's an elementary computer science teacher with WCPS, and together we are a nerd force to be reckoned with! Check out his CTforKids.com site! So what's next? Winning the WCPS TOY award makes me our representative for the Maryland TOY award!! The process begins now! Thank you again to everyone for your love and support. I am truly honored and blessed.
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About the AuthorHi! Welcome to my blog! My name is Christine Hurley. This is my 17th year of teaching - I've taught Kindergarten, 4th grade, elementary media, and now I am in my 6th year of teaching middle school media! Archives
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