Kevin Tomlinson, a fourth-grade teacher at Evergreen Elementary School, will be in Hershey in early December for three days as one of 13 Pennsylvania teachers nominated for the Teacher of the Year award.
His visit to Hershey is not for a holiday, but to join 12 other teachers nominated for the Teacher of the Year award.
Tomlinson has been working for the Perkiomen Valley School District for 16 years after spending a year in Central Bucks. He is a graduate of Quakertown High School and Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He was initially hesitant to inform the newspaper about his nomination.
He mentioned that he was reluctant to appear to be promoting himself, but felt compelled to contact the local media as requested by the Department of Education.
Reassured that it was acceptable to inform the local newspaper about his achievement, he spoke enthusiastically about his work with fourth-grade students.
During the conversation, he specifically talked about a long-term project involving trout, where his students have been raising trout eggs in the classroom since January.
With funding from Perkiomen Valley’s Education Foundation, Tomlinson collaborates with gifted support teacher Kelly Voicheck to help the students care for the trout, maintain the tank, test the water, and learn about trout.
In a few weeks, the students will work with the local chapter of Trout Unlimited to learn more about testing the water, native plants, how to tie flies, and fish with them, before releasing the young trout into Perkiomen Creek.
He expressed his admiration for the fourth-grade because they still enjoy school and ask intriguing questions.
Some parents of his students nominated Tomlinson for the Teacher of the Year award, recognizing his outstanding work.
The award aims to recognize outstanding educators who have made significant contributions to the youth of Pennsylvania. This is according to the award website..
Those selected in the first round of the award must be highly devoted, knowledgeable, and skilled teachers in any public school in Pennsylvania. They are expected to continue teaching actively, use effective and innovative instructional strategies, inspire students of all backgrounds, and have the respect and admiration of students, parents, and colleagues. They should also play an active role in the school and community, and possess good communication skills.
The final evaluations include writing an application and doing an online interview, which is recorded for other judges to watch. He was informed in April that he is one of the 12 finalists.
Pennsylvania Education Secretary Khalid Mumin said in a press release announcing the nominees, “Outstanding educators impact their students' lives daily and make a lasting impression on them. The Commonwealth is proud to have strong, enthusiastic teachers who inspire their students to achieve limitless success.”
Tomlinson stated, “The process was really interesting and I’m really very humbled just to be nominated.”
If he is successful, Tomlinson will represent Pennsylvania at various national, regional, and local events leading up to the National Teacher of the Year ceremony at the White House.
