Tag: #excellence

In his words… | Dave Daniel, KPBSD teacher

Dave Daniel, Mountain View Elementary, 2016
Dave Daniel, Mountain View Elementary, 2016

Celebrating Dave Daniel, KPBSD 30+ year teacher, 1986 – 
In his words…

“They will not care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”
“Our children are our future, literally. They come from all possible walks of life, all socioeconomic backgrounds, all types of living conditions, and with their own unique gifts and challenges. The number one thing an elementary teacher needs to remember is, ‘They will not care how much you know, until they know how much you care.’ I’ve been saying that for many, many years, and it has proven more times than I can recall in my students.”

#iAmKPBSD history

In 1986, I started teaching at William H. Seward Elementary School, the same school I had attended. Many of the same teachers were still teaching on staff! I taught 4th grade for two years, and was fortunate in that Roger Sampson was my principal and an excellent mentor. In 1988 I moved to Kenai, and began teaching at Mountain View Elementary.
Room memories:

  • Room 8: three years of 4th graders
  • Room 19 for twenty years! Three years with 6th grade; 15 years with 5th grade, and then back to 4th grade.
  • Portable: two and a half years with 4th grade
  • Room 14: my current classroom to this day!

When I think over my career in the KPBSD, I especially recall:

#Golden student…

I really appreciate those students who came to realize, I genuinely cared about them as people. Many of them come and visit me still to this day, or drop me a note now and again. This is especially rewarding, because often they are students that may have needed a firmer hand at times. Just this year I received a poignant note from one young man who is on the threshold of graduation. Evidently he was asked to consider those who had helped him through the rough patches, and he thought back to me. Then he took the time to write me a nice letter thanking me for the times I would pick him up for field trips, or go the extra mile for him in some other way. It was nice to know it had a positive and lasting impact on him.

#Golden staff…

I have been extremely blessed over the years to teach with many, many staff. Some have been memorable for their amazing abilities, dedication, love for students, wisdom, or sense of humor. I will never forget Alice Johnson and Jan Daniel’s efforts to help me loosen up and be less regimented. I was an extremely inflexible young teacher who lived by my lesson plan book and the clock. Alice made it her personal goal to cure me of this and would regularly bring her children into my class … Unannounced … to read our combined classes a story during my math lesson, or something else that made me flex. Jan on the other hand regularly hid my lunch in the staff lounge when I was not paying attention. I never knew it was her until the day she retired. Really, you just don’t expect that of such a sweet, kind, and lady. At least I didn’t, and I would accuse everyone else of doing it. She never said a word till we were celebrating her retirement.

What’s best for kids?

Then there was Jim Dawson. Jim started calling me sir the day I met him. I could not figure out why and told him to stop, because I was sure I was not that much older than him. We were the same age. Jim was the PE teacher at Mountain View, and over the years he became my friend, and the principal. He taught me it was okay to take educational risks and think outside the box, if the students would benefit. He taught me to do my best and not sweat the rest, and he was the first person I ever heard say, what’s best for kids? It shaped the way I looked at my students, and my profession. It helped me to develop my tag line on all my emails over these many years, They will not care what you know, until they know how much you care.

A forever memory … #compassion #MakeaDifference

I will never forget the terrible day our class returned from a fieldtrip, and one little girl’s mom was very late coming to pick her up. The police arrived and explained that mom had been rushing back to Kenai when she lost control of her car and was fatally injured. There was no other family in the state for this little girl, besides her young brother. I had to break the news to her, and held her for hours as she cried and cried. I made a call to a close classmate’s mom, who came and took her home. She stayed with this family until her grandparents were contacted. Our little classroom community, and a local congregation, cared for her and her grandparents until all arrangements were made. Then she and her brother went home with the grandparents. That young lady is 22 years old now, and over the years she reached out to me, and even came back once to reassure us all she was doing okay. A teacher often finds themselves doing so much more than the rest of the world even begins to understand.

dave-daniel-5th-grade
Dave Daniel, Mountain View Elementary, early 1990s, likely 1993

Investing my time in the KPBSD… #31years #PublicEducation

It has given me more perspective than many. I have seen so many programs, teachers, administrators, and curriculums come and go. The one common factor that has always been constant and made the biggest difference in any child’s education, is having a qualified teacher in their lives. The standards, programs, and assessments have never been as important as a community of dedicated professionals working collaboratively to help our students reach their potential. This was true 31 years ago, and it is today, as well.

Then and Now…

There was a time when the teaching reading, writing, math, science, and social studies well was good enough. Believe it or not there really was.

Links

Mountain View Elementary School
Facebook: Mountain View Elementary
Explore Learning Educator Spotlight: Dave Daniel
 

“I am very proud of our staff that have been with our district for so many years. The lives they have made a difference with are incalculable. I truly appreciate what they have given the children of this district and hope they continue their careers with us for many more years! Thank you so much for helping our students and schools grow!” –Sean Dusek, superintendent

 

James Knoebel | 2016 BP Teacher of Excellence

James Knoebel – Soldotna High School
2016 BP Teacher of Excellence

“Every day I am inspired by the students I work with,” said James Knoebel. “Their persistence, resilience, and steadfastness to overcome barriers push me to be a better educator and person. I am appreciative of my team members at SoHi that support me as I promote inclusive and dynamic learning environments. I love what I do, and look forward to continuing to foster an atmosphere within our school that promotes self-determination and an appreciation for the whole person.”

James Knoebel, Soldotna High School 2016 BP Teacher of Excellence
James Knoebel, Soldotna High School
2016 BP Teacher of Excellence

“This year’s nominees were again, an excellent representation of our staff as a whole,” said Sean Dusek, superintendent. “They are humble, hard-working and student-centered. I was particularly impressed with how all of the finalists have gone the extra mile for their students and make sure every student they work with know that they are loved.”

James teaches special education at Soldotna High School. He graduated magna cum laude in vocational rehabilitation from University of Wisconsin and achieved his Master of Education in Special Education from University of Alaska Southeast. He has been a teacher for nine years, all in Alaska.
“I don’t think there’s a branch of education that calls for more compassion, patience and a refusal to give up than special education. These are children who have difficulty in class and will have difficulty in life later on. Their experience in school sets the groundwork for how they will deal with life’s challenges, most of which require some form of learning. Many of these kids have been told for years they will never be able to graduate high school. It’s critical for them to learn how to learn. But even more, it’s critical for them to learn to believe in themselves.”
James’ students come to him not only with academic challenges, but also behavioral, social and mental-health issues. He is inclusive in the way he teaches, developing meaningful relationships with each child, working to steer them to general education classes for more-typical students and lighting within them the belief that they can overcome difficult things.
One nominator writes: “He is the most inclusive teacher I have come into contact with in over 20 years of working as an administrator and special education coordinator.”James achieves a notably high graduation rate with kids who might otherwise drop out of school by helping them become independent. He inspires them to become problem-solvers. Mr. Knoebel’s innovative approach to teaching has not only been recognized locally by students, parents, co-workers and administrators, but also by special education professionals from the state, who have visited his classroom to observe his exceptional work.
As the department chair, he assists other teachers in the Intensive Needs program. He also takes on coaching position for girls’ softball. James has been a staunch advocate for students with disabilities throughout the school and, by his example, has succeeded in changing the culture of acceptance in perhaps the most difficult group of all–teenagers. In his classroom, children learn they can complete school assignments, conquer emotions and navigate complex, often frightening social situations.
But James’ favorite time of year is graduation night. He says, “I get to sit in the audience and watch students I’ve worked with for years, sometimes five or six years, walk across that stage and shake the principal’s hand and hold up their diploma.” Our goal in this life as teachers is to inspire young people to believe they can do it, whatever their own personal “it” is. James achieves that goal every year on graduation night–against odds the rest of us simply don’t have to face.
Congratulations, James Knoebel, BP Teacher of Excellence.

Links

2016 KPBSD BP Teachers of Excellence L-R, Darilynn Caston, Redoubt Elementary; Sharon Hopkins, Tustumena Elementary; Nickole Lyon, Seward Elementary; Patti Truesdell, Hope School; James Knoebel, Soldotna High School
2016 KPBSD BP Teachers of Excellence
L-R, Darilynn Caston, Redoubt Elementary; Sharon Hopkins, Tustumena Elementary; Nickole Lyon, Seward Elementary; Patti Truesdell, Hope School; James Knoebel, Soldotna High School