Alan Sitomer
California Teacher of the Year
Lynwood High School, Los Angeles
Grades 10-12, English, Creative Writing, AVID

My teaching philosophy
I believe excellent education is the antithesis of “boring”. Great teaching teems with energy, excitement and passion. It’s where students are motivated, teachers are vibrant and learning is an interactive, collaborative, non-linear process that empowers all learners to intellectually move leaps and bounds beyond the mere rote memorization of stats, data, rules and facts.

My philosophy in action
My philosophical disposition and methodology as an educator stem directly from my deep belief in structuring engaging educational activities while commensurately tackling rigorous academic mandates with high expectations for all learners. I push and I challenge, I drill and I demand, but I smile and I laugh, too. Learning and fun are not mutually exclusive in the classroom. As a matter of fact, I believe they are interdependent, formidable allies with mammoth powers to be harnessed if wed correctly. As a teacher, I know that I am at my best, in terms of effectiveness as an educator, when my classes are exciting, energetic and enjoyable, while simultaneously steeped in rigor and high aspirations.

My greatest teaching accomplishment
Seeing my inner-city students earn their way into college, well-prepared to compete with the best and the brightest from around the nation.

The most critical issues facing educators today
The most critical issue facing educators today is realizing the need to stay positive and encouraged through this dark period, where the media uses teachers and professional educators as the scapegoat for all that is wrong with our schools. Teaching is the best job on the planet and what we do matters – it matters greatly to our students, and we can’t lose sight of the impact we hold on the young people of our society.

Ways to resolve this issue
Staying positive, remembering what the reasons were that most of us joined this profession and always keeping in the forefront of one’s mind that we are touching individual lives for a living – and no amount of paperwork or bureaucracy or political shenanigans should ever get in the way of us accomplishing our mission. Be determined to be an optimist, and use your positive attitude as a sword to cut through the negative nonsense so many silly people strive to hurl at people in our profession these days.

One thought to inspire teachers to succeed
Always remember, in many ways, we are the weather inside our classrooms, and the teacher who is determined to be sunny, bright, positive, and optimistic will inevitably translate those qualities to their students (by the magic of classroom osmosis). Never forget the power one has as a educator. It’s immense!

One lesson every student should learn
Every student should realize that what matters most in this world is learning to “bounce back” when adversity strikes. We all face supreme challenges along this journey we call “life” and the one element which is common to all those who are considered a success in their field – regardless of one’s arena – is that when they get kicked in the pit of the stomach by life, they know how to dust themselves off and get back up on the horse. All the people we most admire for their achievements in this world have had to learn to positively and productively respond to challenges and adversity along their way – and the young people of today will be no exception to this rule.

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