Tulsa Public Schools named its Teacher and Support Employee of the Year at two separate assemblies Tuesday.
Cooper Elementary’s third-year physical education teacher Rob Kaiser is this year’s winner. He was surprised at an assembly he thought was about safety.
"I honestly teach at the best school in the world, I work with the best teachers in the world and I teach the best kids in the world," Kaiser said. "I was just so humbled and so unbelievably honored to have received this award."
Kaiser helped start an "amazing athletes" initiative for disabled students. A video fundraiser brought in $1,500, and the band Hanson matched that amount. It will pay for a room to help students develop their fine motor skills.
Lindbergh second grade teaching assistant Melinda Taylor is the 2016 support staff honoree. She’s been at Lindbergh two years and was at Bell Elementary for 14 years.
She also leads a robotics club and was caught completely by surprise at an assembly she thought was to celebrate that.
"I thought that they were honoring my children, which is what we should be doing," Taylor said. "I am overwhelmed, excited. I can't believe this is happening."
TPS Superintendent Deborah Gist said it’s especially important to recognize outstanding educators right now.
"When you celebrate a teacher or an employee, you are lifting up that individual and their accomplishments, but you're also celebrating his or her colleagues and others who do similar work and who help them to do what they do every day."
The TPS Teacher of the Year becomes a candidate for Oklahoma Teacher of the Year.
