[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 10 (Wednesday, January 17, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S249-S250]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       TRIBUTE TO MIAMI-DADE COUNTY TEACHER OF THE YEAR FINALISTS

 Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, I would like to have printed in the 
Record an article that was published in today's Miami Herald, ``What 
makes a classroom click? Meet four great teachers who make it happen,'' 
and recognize the finalists for the annual Miami-Dade County Teacher of 
the Year contest. I wish them, and all nominated teachers from around 
the State the best of luck and commend their hard work and dedication 
to Florida's students.
  The material follows:

  What Makes a Classroom Click? Meet Four Great Teachers Who Make It 
                                 Happen

                            (By Kyra Gurney)

       What's the secret to being a great teacher?
       The four finalists for Miami-Dade's annual Teacher of the 
     Year contest--chosen from the county's roughly 18,000 public 
     school teachers--have some ideas.
       Inspiring students takes passion, hard work and 
     perseverance, they said. Above all, a great teacher finds a 
     way to connect with each child as an individual, not as a 
     test score.
       The winner of the 2019 Francisco R. Walker Miami-Dade 
     County Teacher of the Year will be announced on Jan. 25 along 
     with the rookie teacher of the year. The awards dinner will 
     be held at 6 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton Miami Airport & 
     Convention Center at 711 NW 72nd Ave. The winner will compete 
     for the state title.
       Here are the finalists:


 North Region: Molly Winters Diallo, Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Senior 
                                  High

       Molly Winters Diallo grew up in a family of teachers, so 
     going into education ``felt like it was the natural route to 
     take,'' she said.
       Her first teaching job was at a private school in the 
     British Virgin Islands. In the early 2000s, Winters Diallo 
     moved to Miami because she wanted to teach in the Haitian 
     community. She spent five years at Miami Edison Senior High 
     before transferring to Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Senior High, 
     where she teaches Advanced Placement Human Geography and 
     Psychology and Honors U.S. History.
       Winters Diallo said she encourages every student to take 
     advanced classes, like the college-level Advanced Placement 
     courses she teaches.
       ``I believe that regardless of students' backgrounds, they 
     should be able to take advanced coursework and they should 
     see college as an attainable goal,'' she said.
       In 2016, Winters Diallo was selected as a Bezos Educator 
     Scholar--one of 12 teachers chosen nationwide to participate 
     in a leadership program funded by the Bezos Family 
     Foundation, which was created by the parents of Amazon 
     founder Jeff Bezos. As part

[[Page S250]]

     of the program, Winters Diallo and a student created ``Branch 
     Out'' at Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Senior High, an effort 
     that brings together students from diverse backgrounds who 
     might not ordinarily socialize. At one ``Branch Out'' event, 
     students wore masks and wrote how society views them on the 
     outside of the mask and how they view themselves on the 
     inside.
       ``I try to create a welcoming environment for my students 
     and a safe place,'' Winters Diallo said. ``I want my students 
     to feel comfortable in my classroom and express themselves.''
       Winters Diallo was excited to learn that one of her former 
     students, Karen Fernandez, won rookie teacher of the year at 
     Melrose Elementary School in Miami this year.
       ``This is coming full circle, and it's a beautiful thing,'' 
     she said.


       Central Region: Aaron Taylor, Henry E.S. Reeves Elementary

       Aaron Taylor was working on a degree in criminal justice 
     when he started substitute teaching to make some extra money. 
     At the time, Taylor planned to join the FBI or the Secret 
     Service after he finished his degree.
       But Taylor quickly became a popular sub and before he knew 
     it, he had a teaching gig lined up for every day of the week. 
     After seeing him in action, one school principal encouraged 
     Taylor to become a full-time teacher.
       ``It was like I had this gift,'' he said. ``I fell in love 
     with it.''
       Taylor went on to get two master's degrees, one in 
     educational leadership and one in special education, and 
     certifications in gifted education and English for Speakers 
     of Other Languages (ESOL).
       ``You never know what kind of student you're going to get 
     so I try to prepare myself to deal with all types of 
     students,'' he said.
       Taylor currently teaches fourth-grade reading and language 
     arts at Henry E.S. Reeves Elementary. He also serves as the 
     school's site director for the 5000 Role Models of Excellence 
     Project, a mentoring program for at-risk boys. Taylor 
     participated in the program when he was a student at Miami 
     Central Senior High and said it had a positive impact on his 
     life. Now, he's planning college tours for the students he 
     mentors.
       Taylor said it's important to show each child in his class 
     that he cares about them. He makes a point of eating lunch 
     with his students--and not talking about schoolwork.
       ``They're not just a test score,'' he said. When a student 
     knows his or her teacher cares, ``everything else follows.''


       South Region: Katina Perry-Birts, Florida City Elementary

       Katina Perry-Birts didn't set out to be a teacher, but an 
     experience volunteering in her son's kindergarten class 
     sparked an interest in education.
       `` `Hey, I can do this and impact the students,' '' she 
     remembers thinking. ``It reminded me what I learned at an 
     early age about the power of education.''
       That was roughly 20 years ago. Perry-Birts first worked as 
     a substitute teacher for five years before completing her 
     education degree in 2005. Then she got a job at Florida City 
     Elementary, where she has taught ever since.
       Many of her fourth-grade students face significant 
     challenges at home, Perry-Birts said. More than 95 percent of 
     the children at Florida City Elementary are low-income. 
     Perry-Birts said she tries to instill in her students the 
     power of change and teach them that they don't have to be a 
     product of their environment.
       In her classroom, the mantra is a Muhammad Ali quote: 
     ``Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men 
     who find it easier to live in the world they've been given 
     than to explore the power they have to change it.''
       ``I embed that in my students,'' Perry-Birts said. ``I tell 
     my kids that on a daily basis.''
       She also works with Real Men Read, a national program that 
     recruits men from the community to read to students. Recent 
     guests at Florida City Elementary included a congressional 
     staffer and a clergyman.
       For Perry-Birts, teaching isn't just about learning gains. 
     She also tries to develop a personal connection with her 
     students.
       ``You've got to have a heart and a passion for the kids,'' 
     she said. ``You have to have that passion and if you have 
     that passion, you can motivate them.''


      Alternative Education: Judy Rodriguez, C.O.P.E. Center North

       Judy Rodriguez's previous job could not have been more 
     different. Before she became a Miami-Dade teacher, Rodriguez 
     worked in the pharmaceutical industry as a quality assurance 
     auditor, ensuring that batches of medication were safe to 
     release.
       Then Rodriguez had a son and her whole world changed. When 
     she started looking for a daycare, she came to a frightening 
     realization.
       ``It was like an awakening for me that I was going to have 
     to trust somebody with my child,'' she said.
       Rodriguez started teaching business part time for an adult 
     education program before becoming a full-time business 
     teacher at Miami Northwestern Senior High. Along the way, 
     she's carried that realization with her. ``I've always tried 
     to treat my students as I would want my son to be treated,'' 
     she said.
       For the past eight years, Rodriguez has taught at C.O.P.E. 
     Center North, a school that serves teen moms and pregnant 
     teens. She currently teaches entrepreneurship, English for 
     Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and on-the-job training.
       ``It's extremely challenging, but it's extremely rewarding 
     because you're impacting two generations simultaneously,'' 
     she said.
       The best part about her job, she added, is ``when you 
     ignite their fire for learning.''
       One of her students, a teen mom with a baby, recently 
     traveled to New York to compete in a national business plan 
     competition. When the student placed 12th, Rodriguez was 
     worried that she would feel discouraged. But the experience 
     had the opposite effect.
       ``Miss, so now what's next? `Shark Tank?' '' she asked 
     Rodriguez after the contest, referring to the 
     entrepreneurship TV show.
       ``My heart was full because she got it,'' Rodriguez said. 
     ``There's always something next.''

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