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Top teacher gladly shares limeligh
By LORRI HELFAND, Times Staff Writer ST. PETERSBURG -- For Jane Charland, the key to being a good teacher goes beyond skills. It's a matter of touching children's lives. Charland, a teacher at Ozona Elementary, motivates her first-graders by incorporating song, dance and artwork into the curriculum. "I want them to find learning filled with joy," said the 11-year educator. "I want them to feel loved and love to learn." On Thursday, Pinellas County School officials selected Charland as the Outstanding Educator of 2002. She will represent Pinellas in the state Teacher of the Year Competition. Charland, 52, and 100 of her peers were honored at a banquet at Tropicana Field. In past years, some 20 semifinalists were honored at a luncheon. This year, in a celebration coordinated by the Pinellas Education Foundation, scores of teachers were honored in a ceremony broadcast on WPDS-Ch. 14. "We want to make a big deal out of teachers and education," said Terry Boehm, education foundation president. "Too many people talk about education with the glass half full. We need to talk more about the people that are going to work and doing a great job." Charland said she was happy to share the accolades with many of her peers. "I can't tell you how many people are doing special things with children day in and day out," she said. Nancy Sigmon, another of this year's 15 finalists, also was pleased that so many teachers were recognized for their work. "Quite frankly everybody's a winner," she said. "It's not often we get recognized like this." The evening began with a reception in left field, complete with a piano serenade. With help from 30 corporate sponsors, the Pinellas County Education Foundation paid for each teacher to bring a guest. Gifts were provided for teachers. All of the evening's entertainment showcased teachers' talents, including the piano serenade and the Pinellas County Teachers All-Star Jazz Band. Besides honoring more teachers this year, the district made the competition easier to enter. In the past, teachers had to write extensive essays. This year, people who nominated educators answered questions about them. Last year, fewer than 50 teachers entered, while this year produced 120 nominations. "Essentially the whole purpose of Teacher of the Year program is a recognition program not a competition pitting teacher against teacher, and I think we did that this year," said Ron Stone, district spokesman. On Thursday, for the first time, one teacher finalist was named in each of five categories. They were: Gail Lulek of Safety Harbor Middle, for her commitment to children and families; Carolyn Underwood, a vocational education specialist at Largo High, for being an ambassador of the profession; Carolyn Schafer a prekindergarten teacher at Sexton Elementary, for commitment to the improvement of the profession; and Phyllis Selkow, a third-grade teacher at Ozona Elementary, for inspiring students to performance at higher levels. Charland received $2,000, a $2,000 scholarship to Nova Southeastern University, an Apple computer and a limo ride to school today. The other four finalists received $1,000 plus a $1,000 scholarship to Nova.
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