Bayshore & Caloosa elementary teachers among Golden Apple honorees
Two West Zone teachers are among this year’s Golden Apple Teacher Award honorees.
This year’s recipients include Laura Jordan from Caloosa Elementary School and as well as Luis Fisher from Gateway High School; Tamara Hunter from Franklin Park Elementary School; Joni Pelletier from Treeline Elementary School and Stephanie Yanik from The Sanibel School.
“I was very clearly stunned and speechless. I was confused about the crowd outside of my room,” Maxwell said after being surprised in her classroom last week by a contingent with the Foundation for Lee County Public Schools program. “My students’ faces surprised me the most. Some of them cried, some had huge smiles. Overall, we were all just in awe of the events as they happened.”
She said the honor means that her students, both past and present, really feel the same way she does about education.
“By winning the Golden Apple, I was able to show them the determination and hard work that I expect from them pays off in big ways. It means that my students see me as someone who invested a lot into them. I knew that all along, but I am happy it was apparent to them as well,” Maxwell said.
The fifth grade teacher has taught in the district for 10 years.
“My students and their reactions are the reason I get up and come in each day,” Maxwell said. “I love the ‘aha’ look in their eyes. Just seeing a student finally understand, or challenging the extremely bright students in new ways. That is what it is all about.”
Jordan, a peer collaborative teacher, has been teaching in the district for 18 years, 16 years at Caloosa Elementary.
“I was in complete shock and awe. I truly wasn’t expecting to receive such wonderful news,” she said. “The love that I felt from my students, the sponsors, Golden Apple Committee members, colleagues, family and friends was beyond words.”
Jordan learned about the Golden Apple program when she first moved to Lee County in 2000 after seeing news reports and watching the televised broadcast of the Golden Apple Banquet.
“The speeches that were given by the teachers were truly inspirational,” Jordan said as she was still finishing her education degree while working full-time. “It was then that I made it a personal goal to be a Golden Apple teacher to be able to represent the incredible teachers in Lee County. It is an honor that I cannot even begin to describe. I just am truly appreciative of the Foundation for Lee County Public Schools, its sponsors, and committee members for highlighting teachers in our district. It warms educators’ hearts to know that we are valued and respected by the community.”
Jordan said the magic of watching students learn and grow has been an amazing part of being a teacher.
“When you get to participate in the life of a child both in and out of school, you realize what a joy it is to have chosen this career. However, what I treasure the most is the simple greetings, smiles, and conversations with my students and colleagues. As a teacher, you not only develop a class family, but you are also a part of a school family. The students, teachers, administrators, and staff that I have the pleasure to work with each and every day are committed to doing what is best for our students and through that work, it feels as though we become a family,” she said.
This is the 36th consecutive year that the Foundation for Lee County Public Schools has surprised teachers in their classroom with what many consider the district’s highest honor for teachers.
Teachers go through an extensive selection process beginning in September, with the communinity nominating teachers. The winners went through a blind comprehensive application, observation in the classroom and interviews with the selection committee.
These Golden Apple recipients will be honored at a black tie affair to be held at the Caloosa Sound Convention Center at the Luminary Hotel at 5:30 p.m., Friday, April 14.
The banquet will be broadcast through NBC2 at 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 22. Tickets are $175 per person and can be purchased by contacting the foundation at (239) 337-0433.