Evergreen Elementary School teacher Kevin Tomlinson with his fourth-grade class. He has been nominated to be Pennsylvania’s Teacher of the Year. (Credit: Perkiomen Valley School District.)
A Perkiomen Valley School District fourth-grade teacher has been named one of 12 finalists from across the Commonwealth competing for Teacher of the Year, according to The Mercury.
Kevin Tomlinson, a teacher at Evergreen Elementary School, has worked at the school district for 16 years, according to the article.
In December, he will head to Hershey for the final competition. The winner gets to represent Pennsylvania in several local, national and regional events, ending with the National Teacher of the Year ceremony at The White House, per the report.
The Quakertown High School alum was chosen due to his excellence in teaching and is contributions to young students in Pennsylvania, according to the Teacher of the Year website.
Tomlinson is currently changing lives of students by teaching them the life cycle of fish via science experiments. Per the article, his students have been raising and caring for trout eggs in the classroom, including testing water and maintaining the tank for the fish.
Tomlinson’s class will then partner with Trout Unlimited to learn about native plants, how to tie flies for fly fishing, and the ecology of Perkiomen Creek. Eventually, the trout will be released in the creek, per the report.
Making it to the Final 12 means Tomlinson proved to be “exceptionally dedicated, knowledgeable and skilled” as an active teacher and incorporated effective and innovative “instructional strategies, particularly elements of the Standards Aligned Systems (SAS).”
Other qualifications include inspiring students of all backgrounds to understand the importance of education, playing an active role in the school and community, and being poised and articulate with communication skills.
“Great educators change the lives of their students each and every day and leave a lasting impact on them for life. The Commonwealth is proud to have strong, enthusiastic teachers, inspiring their students to reach infinite possibilities of success,” Pennsylvania Education Secretary Khalid Mumin said in a press release announcing the nominees.
“The process was really interesting and I’m really very humbled just to be nominated,” Tomlinson told The Mercury.
Read more on Tomlinson here.
