[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 51 (Monday, March 25, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S1934]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO LAURA WYKOFF

 Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I recognize Laura Wykoff, the 
Alachua County teacher of the year from Fort Clarke Middle School in 
Gainesville, FL.
  Laura keeps letters from her students to remind her of the importance 
of her job. After receiving this award, she shared many of these 
letters with those in attendance at the award ceremony. The letters 
consist of humorous ones on learning about integers, algebra, and other 
math subjects to serious ones about how, if it was not for Laura, they 
would not have been successful in school. She considers these examples 
as an important reason for why she does her job.
  Laura considers teaching her students and realizing that they 
understand something and that makes a student feel good about 
themselves as the best part of the job. At the award ceremony, one of 
her former students credited Laura with his success and noted that she 
has always been there for him.
  Laura has taught for more than 10 years and is currently a seventh 
and eighth grade mathematics teacher at Fort Clarke Middle School, 
where she has been since 2015. Her family consists of a long line of 
academics, and Laura believes teaching is in their blood.
  I offer my sincere thanks and gratitude to Laura for her dedication 
to her students throughout her career. I look forward to hearing of her 
continued success in the years ahead.

                          ____________________