![Tulsa Public Schools 2019 Teacher of the Year logo]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1551203807/tulsaschoolsorg/jzssxnfnepjaol5tiyrc/TOY_Finalists_NewsGraphic1.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1551203807/tulsaschoolsorg/jzssxnfnepjaol5tiyrc/TOY_Finalists_NewsGraphic1.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1551203807/tulsaschoolsorg/jzssxnfnepjaol5tiyrc/TOY_Finalists_NewsGraphic1.png","width":800}])
Superintendent Deborah A. Gist surprised five teachers at their schools to congratulate each for being named a finalist for the Tulsa Public Schools 2019 Teacher of the Year.
"Being a teacher is an extraordinarily challenging job, but it is also profoundly rewarding. Great teachers are not only the heart of excellent schools; they are the foundation from which our communities are able to grow and thrive," said Gist. "These five educators have demonstrated exemplary instructional practice, the ability to form meaningful and life-changing relationships with their students, and a relentless focus on ensuring that every child has the tools and supports that he or she needs to be successful."
One of the finalists includes Webster High School's agricultural education teacher, Erica Goodson!
Goodson is an agricultural education instructor at Webster High School and has been an educator for six years. She is deeply committed to building quality relationships with each of her students so that they feel safe and supported in her classroom. Erica is the faculty advisor for the Webster chapter of Future Farmers of America, and under her guidance, the chapter has earn state and national recognition as a National 3 Star Gold Emblem Chapter and a Model of Excellence Top 10 Chapter for the State of Oklahoma. She holds bachelor’s degrees in animal science and agricultural education from Oklahoma State University and a master’s degree in school administration from Southwestern Oklahoma State University.
After a community-wide nomination process in the fall, schools throughout the district named site-level Teachers of the Year in December 2018. These site-level winners each created a portfolio of work to be reviewed by a committee that included 2019 Teacher of the Year Shaniqua Ray and Tulsa Classroom Teachers Association Vice President Shawna Mott-Wright, as well as school and district leaders. The five finalists were selected following a portfolio review and an interview with the committee.
The district's 2019 Teacher of the Year will be announced spring 2019.