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Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
Springfield teacher of the year advances to national contest
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Springfield teacher of the year
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Date: January 21, 2014 07:41AM
Springfield teacher of the year advances to national contest
http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/article/20140117/NEWS/140119185/1064/springfield-teacher-of-the-year-advances-to-national-contest&template=fairfaxTimes
Melissa Porfirio, who was named Fairfax County Public Schools’ 2013 Teacher of the Year in September and the 2014 Virginia Teacher of the Year in October, is one of four finalists for the 2014 National Teacher of the Year award.
“Oh my, I cannot even believe this is happening!” she said in response to the news Wednesday.
Porfirio, a first-grade teacher at Crestwood Elementary School in Springfield, is known for being involved in her students’ lives, for making the extra effort to get to know them as people, and for building relationships with them and their families. Principal Timothy Kasik praised Porfirio for the efficient way she runs her classroom and for developing routines and systems that allow her students to transition from lesson to lesson with a minimum of downtime. He also noted that Porfirio has a way of making learning fun for students.
“Her students love coming to school, and each one of them always has a smile on his or her face,” he said.
Porfirio also connects with students in activities outside the classroom. She assembled a team of parents and teachers to plan Crestwood’s first International Night, which brought together the culturally diverse community for music, dance, food and information. She is a buddy runner in the school’s Girls on the Run program, works on the Crestwood Partners in Print program, attends dance recitals and sports competitions where students are participants, and visits homes to build relationships with families.
Porfirio has taught at Crestwood since 2005 and received the school’s Human Relations Award in 2008. She earned her bachelor’s degree in social work from the Catholic University of America and her master’s degree in education with a focus on curriculum and instruction from George Mason University.
The 2014 National Teacher of the Year will be announced in April at a White House ceremony.
Attachments:
http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/article/20140117/NEWS/140119185/1064/springfield-teacher-of-the-year-advances-to-national-contest&template=fairfaxTimes
Melissa Porfirio, who was named Fairfax County Public Schools’ 2013 Teacher of the Year in September and the 2014 Virginia Teacher of the Year in October, is one of four finalists for the 2014 National Teacher of the Year award.
“Oh my, I cannot even believe this is happening!” she said in response to the news Wednesday.
Porfirio, a first-grade teacher at Crestwood Elementary School in Springfield, is known for being involved in her students’ lives, for making the extra effort to get to know them as people, and for building relationships with them and their families. Principal Timothy Kasik praised Porfirio for the efficient way she runs her classroom and for developing routines and systems that allow her students to transition from lesson to lesson with a minimum of downtime. He also noted that Porfirio has a way of making learning fun for students.
“Her students love coming to school, and each one of them always has a smile on his or her face,” he said.
Porfirio also connects with students in activities outside the classroom. She assembled a team of parents and teachers to plan Crestwood’s first International Night, which brought together the culturally diverse community for music, dance, food and information. She is a buddy runner in the school’s Girls on the Run program, works on the Crestwood Partners in Print program, attends dance recitals and sports competitions where students are participants, and visits homes to build relationships with families.
Porfirio has taught at Crestwood since 2005 and received the school’s Human Relations Award in 2008. She earned her bachelor’s degree in social work from the Catholic University of America and her master’s degree in education with a focus on curriculum and instruction from George Mason University.
The 2014 National Teacher of the Year will be announced in April at a White House ceremony.
Attachments: