Barbara McBee, a second-grade teacher at Whittier Elementary; Cathy Monteiro, a reading teacher at Hanby Elementary; and Jenn Steinher, a second-grade teacher at Emerson Elementary have been named Westerville Education Foundation’s December Teachers of the Month.
WEF Executive Director Colleen Moidu, WEF Board Member and Chair of the Teacher of the Month program Rebecca Chesnick, Superintendent Dr. John Kellogg and Executive Director of Human Resources Scott Reeves surprised recipients with the news Thursday.
Nomination letters for each recipient featured glowing praise:
McBee: “Ms. McBee is kind, positive and has a welcoming community in her classroom. She is always striving to stretch and grow her students academically and goes the extra mile. Every student in Ms McBee's class will grow socially, emotionally, and academically under her watch.”
Monteiro: “Mrs. Monteiro is our son’s reading intervention teacher. He struggles a little bit with reading and can become easily frustrated. Going to see Mrs. Monteiro is his favorite part of his day. We see his confidence with reading growing more and more every day. We are thankful for teachers like Mrs. Monteiro.”
Steinher: “She excels at teaching in a diverse class community. She respects, understands, and values every kid from different culture and background. She uses a different approach to teach kids at different levels. Kids feel comfortable and having fun around her. She responses the parent question/inquiry very fast.”
WEF recognizes teachers who have made an impact on their students, peers and school community. Sponsored by the Education First Credit Union, the Teacher of the Month program provides winners with $100 for their classroom funds.
To learn more about this month’s award winners and the Teacher of the Month program, visit the Westerville Education Foundation’s website.