The Westerville Education Foundation (WEF) has named three educators Teacher of the Month for November – Bill Goldner, Pointview Elementary School; Kari Tucker, Robert Frost Elementary School; and Rebecca Rollo, Westerville Central High School.
Bill Goldner is described by his fellow educator as inspirational and full of positive energy. Goldner works with students and teachers to think outside of the box to achieve their goals and foster leadership skills. “Mr. Goldner has inspired me to realize all teachers have different strengths. He helps me to remember to use these strengths in the various initiatives we have in the building,” said the nominator. As part of the building’s integrated curriculum, the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People is taught in each classroom. With leadership being a main driver in these lessons, Goldner helps students identify opportunities to lead. “When we had a need for help with kindergarten dismissal, it was Mr. Goldner who identified students from his class to lead our kindergartners. In addition, he led a Technology Leadership Team with students which held a main role in our Leadership Night presentation.
Kari Tucker is described by her nominator as innovative, encouraging and supportive. She teaches fundamental lessons in the classroom outside of the regular curriculum. Her nominator describes, “She is highly skilled at creating a classroom community that fosters kindness, caring and empathy for all of her students. By careful consideration in pairing students together, she has created unlikely friendships that have continued outside of her classroom.” She identifies each child’s potential and works to help them identify their strengths and take their education to the next level. “My child has been identified as superior cognitively gifted…Our main reason for electing to keep him at Robert Frost was so that he could experience an educational environment that stimulated his unique needs while simultaneously meeting the needs of a diverse student population.” Through her attentive involvement, Mrs. Tucker has exceeded the parent’s expectation to provide a beneficial experience both educationally and socially.
Rebecca Rollo is described by her nominator as interactive, enthusiastic, and willing to to take risks to help further understanding for her students. She went above and beyond to learn a different teaching method and helped parents understand through a demonstration on curriculum night. “By doing a similar exercise, the students through discussion were able to identify six to eight characteristics by which science determines if something is living or not,” says her nominator. “It was fantastic and now I can see why my daughter is excited about Biology and feels like she better understands the concepts.” Rebecca’s enthusiasm for teaching and drive to educate each student no matter their learning style makes learning interactive and fun for her biology students. “She exudes an excitement for what she’s doing in the classroom.”
The Westerville Education Foundation’s Teacher of the Month Program is sponsored by Education First Credit Union and ThisWeek Community News, with support from Otterbein University. The Mission of the Westerville Education Foundation is to enrich the learning experience and broaden the minds of our students through the funding and support of innovative educational programs. To nominate, give or join, please visit www.WestervilleEducationFoundation.com.