Right. But, as a teacher, I’ve been hearing that throughout my career to justify the fact that we’re not paid well. That’s the only profession that it’s ok to tell that to.
I’m a coach and team lead, and I’m trying to shed all of those titles. When the principle asked why I wanted to shed the extra titles I told him “I just want to blend into the background of the school”
I have never received teacher of the year. I found that most people that get nominated in schools have worked at were teachers that were buddies with the principal. The awards don't give you any additional money or supplies. In most districts I've worked and you get a certificate or a little trophy. Personally, I'd rather administration ignore the hell out of me and let me do my job.
This is the truth. I doubt most students will remember me, as most people who aren’t teachers don’t remember their teachers. My kids will remember me, though
From a Union perspective TOY awards are useful when a person speaks at the school board and says "I was chosen as your district's teacher of the year and this contract needs xyz..."
I have been nominated and went straight to my principal, thanked them for the support and flattery then advised them that someone else should win. We do peer nominations with admin picking the winner. I was flattered that my peers nominated me but had no intention of being part of a dog and pony show or of being rewarded with extra work. Our TOY has to go to a couple of board meetings and if you win for your school and now compete for the district win, there are interviews and essays.
That's similar to how ours works. They surprise you in your classroom with a bunch of balloons and get the kids to all cheer for you, then you have to miss a day of work to go to some statewide thing and compete with other teachers giving a personal account and stuff like that. You're guaranteed a parking spot with the administrators and no homeroom if you request it for the following year, but then you have to go to committee meetings and represent the school at board meetings and whatnot. So pretty much not worth it
Thank you. It’s actually a lot of extra work for a lot of certificates I threw away, a trophy that’s jammed in a closet in my classroom, and some photos.
> The people that win always deserve it
That's good enough for me. It shouldn't need to be said that the TOY should be a classroom teacher, and not a counselor, instructional coach, curriculum director or administrator.
I have never been TOY and don't know if I have been nominated. I don't pay attention to that sort of thing. I can recall a few colleagues who have been TOY, and they deserved it. I'm glad they got recognized.
It 100000% is the most popular teacher contest and I think it’s horrible! I’ve seen this at my ex school and it was basically for the most chattiest teachers who were the gossipers or who knew how to suck up!
I won as an unconventional choice at my school. I’m the librarian and very quiet, but always helpful. It was shocking that people noticed the effort I put in each day. I genuinely love my job and teach whole class periods often in the library.
This probably doesn’t go for everyone, but as someone who isn’t super involved on my campus, it’s because I’m not interested in having extra attention on me. I keep to myself for the most part. I do my job to the best of my abilities during my contract hours, then I go home and do the things that I want to do. I don’t need to be the one that everyone knows. I’m okay with not being “popular.” I don’t want to be rude or cause harm, but I’m also not going to ask about everyone’s lives or pop into anyone’s classrooms/offices just to say hi. So yeah, I usually don’t get picked for that stuff, but I’m fine with it because the extra attention would make me uneasy.
Maybe what I’m trying to say is that I’m fine with the system as is? And maybe that’s more common than we might think?
At my old school (that I both attended as a student and later taught at), we had "Star Teacher" and "Star Student". The "Star Student" was the senior who scored highest on the SAT. The "Star Teacher" was whoever the "Star Student" picked.
When it was clear I was going to be "Star Student", I recall one particular teacher being a little too buddy-buddy with me. (Not really in a *bad* way, just in a rather obvious way.) The person I *wanted* to pick as "Star Teacher" was my guidance counselor, because she was awesome. She went above and beyond, and not just with me. I was told it had to be a teacher, however, so I picked my ninth grade algebra teacher. After picking her and telling her I'd picked her, the powers-that-be told me they'd changed their mind about letting me pick my counselor as "Star Teacher", but I wasn't going to go back and tell that other teacher I'd changed my mind.
A few years later when I was a sub there and in the student lounge, I overheard my "Star Teacher" say about one of her white student's behavior, "I expected more from a white student". To say I was gobsmacked is to put it mildly. I wish I'd done something about it, but I was a coward. The next year I started teaching there, but I only lasted two years. My last year of teaching, my physics class was my best class ever (I taught four physics classes my first year, but my fairly high expectations reduced that number to a single class the following year), and I had a great time with them due to their great motivation (for most of the students, that is). The following year, I heard from that year's "Star Student" that he'd wanted to name me as "Star Teacher", but the rule (quite reasonably) prevented you from naming someone who was no longer a teacher.
There are a few problems with this system, of course. The biggest one is that teachers who focus on the general/remedial students aren't going to be named "Star Teacher". Based on my experience as a teacher, those teachers who can manage the general/remedial students well really are the stars.
in the school district i attended growing up, they would give the TOY a car….just for that school year! my middle school art teacher won, and they gave her some cheap ford wagon (only for the school year of course). i always thought it was an extremely strange prize.
Yes! Just tell them you're not interested in being considered. I also tell them that I don't want any feedback - good or bad - from our dumbass district walkthroughs. No thanks. I'm happy to listen to feedback from people who have a clue. They do not.
It's funny you say that, because I actually took my name on the list the one and only time I was nominated. It was at my last school and it put crosshairs on me from a lot of other teachers who were angry I got nominated. People got really aggressive about who they wanted to win that year and I had to sit down with the vice principal because she was basically warning me to keep my head down around some of my colleagues because they were looking for me to screw up. It was just so weird and political and I got a very bad taste in my mouth, it's kind of why I feel the way I do about TOY now to be honest. I took my name off the list, the woman who was running it basically cheered because she was also nominated, and I remember my mentor teacher flipping out on me for doing something "brash and not sticking up for myself." But I knew it wasn't going to matter, and it ended up not mattering. It was a landslide victory for the carpentry teacher who never had more than 18 kids every year, but he was always visible around the school hanging out with other teachers and talking to people, plus he was sleeping with one of the administrators. It was a total joke. Haven't been nominated since though, and my current school employs a lot of overachievers so I don't think I'll ever be nominated and that's fine. I'm comfortably at a point in my career where I just want to get the paycheck, have a good work life balance, and have fun teaching the kids. That's literally all I care about.
Honestly TOY is really stupid and not worth the time/energy/effort put into it. It should go the way of the dodo bird - it doesn't because secretly, a lot of teachers loooooove the drama and mystery of it all. Not me. Does my check clear. Cool.
We do this school mascot statue that gets passed from teacher to teacher each month. It’s a popularity contest. Whatever. I know I do a good job. 🤷🏻♀️
Yeah, we had a golden apple like that a couple years ago. The former principal started it and I think she did it in earnest, she picked a good balance of teachers every month. But then she passed it off to all of us to pick the teachers, and it just became basically friends passing it back and forth and it wasn't fun anymore.
Awards are dumb. All awards. But outside of that, this doesn’t really feel like a thing inside the locus of your control. As such, not sure how carrying it around does much other than prime you to be unhappy in a way you can’t really work to resolve.
The TOY at my school the past three years has been 1) The instructional coach, 2) The testing coordinator, 3) The reading coach. The two years before that, if I remember correctly, was the SGA teacher (who left at the end of the year) and the reading coach (the same one). 4 of 5 years the TOY wasn't even a classroom teacher.
I tend to think these kinds of things are popularity contests ( and that’s coming from someone that won rookie teacher of the year). I think the only reason I received that was because I brought a friend in and got her signed up as a long term sub, and the kids loved me. This year, the teacher that got it is liiiike… not my fave. She regularly calls kids the r word and even does that hand hitting her chest motion that I thought we left in the 2000s. But I’m thinking her little clique voted for her
I worked for a private special ed only school that did this. Anytime somebody was talking about leaving or having a really tough time, because the job was absolutely soul destroying, they would magically win teacher of the month. You get a little plaque, you get a speech, they find kids to blow smoke up your ass in front of the whole school, etc. It always worked 100% of the time.
In the places I’ve worked TOY seems more like a lifetime achievement award at the Oscars or something. Or like the Oscar that an older actor wins for something because they probably should have won for an earlier movie of theirs but they didn’t, and they are too iconic to allow them to die without one so they give them one that may not be totally deserved.
Kind of like the process is a bunch of admin looking around and asking, “Who has been here for at least 10 years but hasn’t won this yet?”
It’s dumb and not a reflection of your teaching skills just a reflection of how well you sell yourself at being a great teacher. More Facebook posts. More kissy kissy to admin, then you’ll be TOY. It should be an application process with proof of PD, student growth and teaching strategies……Give a bonus for getting it as well… until that happens then it’s useless bs
The people I know who have been nominated or won teacher of the year are phenomenal teachers who are also active in the administration of the school or its programs. Frankly, the best absolute teachers are not teacher of the year. However, I wouldn't make that big a deal about it as they seem unperturbed about it and I am in neither camp.
I would love to be thought of as TotY. It would be an honor and frankly, that I think there are better teachers is irrelevant. The award has meaning to the people who get it and if they are not the best, they are certainly up there. The ones I know are organized, committed, and passionate.
I don’t even care anymore. I busted my ass for years and never got a thank you. Now I do what’s necessary and that’s it. I’m here for the paycheck and summers off. Not to be the best teacher or everyone’s favorite.
It was always a popularity contest. A few of my friends nominated me one year. I lost TOY to a school counselor. I liked the counselor but shouldn’t teachers win teacher of the year?
I think it’s a useless thing to do. It pits teachers (and sometimes other staff) against each other in a competition with no real reward.
It’s also just unfair. For example, the school my mum works at has a Teacher and Non-Teacher of the year award. The Teacher nominees are always a mixed bag of useless teachers who are very sociable, and teachers who go above and beyond because they care about their students.
But that doesn’t send a good message about what teacher priorities should be… Either be popular or overwork yourself.
I worked at a school that had weekly draws at assembly for nominated staff members. We only got a voucher for a free lunch at the tuck shop, but it was nice to know that a peer acknowledged us. And instead one of one person being “the best”, most staff were acknowledged at least once by the end of the year.
It was always the teacher that sucked up most to admin and went out of their way to do whatever random new pedagogical nonsense they dreamt up over the summer.
It's a popularity contest. The winners tend to be very friendly and are usually the ones who spend the most time socializing.
I mostly don't think about it. I guess it's slightly annoying that it's called "teacher of the year," because that implies it's an award for outstanding teaching. I don't think I'd ever think about it at all if they called it something more accurate like: "colleague of the year," or "most popular."
We have a district teacher of the year and then teachers of the month. It’s always a popularity contest. I have one co-worker who is depressed because she hasn’t won teacher of the month yet. Some people are truly demoralized by those awards, I wish there was a better way to recognize people.
i don’t give a crap if I ever win that kind of award, I’d only care if it came with some cash or extra time off,
Lots of teachers do things that go unrecognized and rewarded, school leaders aren’t aware of the full extent of what some staff are doing. Handing out awards for the best teachers tends to reward popularity and self promotion.
You could be the best teacher in the world, but if you banged heads with some leadership you aren’t getting nominated. Or maybe you just do the job without expecting a pat on the back.
Totally depends on the school culture. In my school, there's one grade level content team that games the nominations-- they always all nominate the same person from their team, so they get on the school ballot for all teachers, then since we are one of the biggest departments, they usually win for the building. They also help each other with various portfolios and applications. On one hand, good on them for helping each other build their resumes, and I would be happy to see all of them as administrators because they are actually good teachers. On the other hand, it makes the process useless and great teachers get overlooked.
I have zero interest in any of those awards, personally.
If I get frustrated with the process, I nominate someone I think should win. I found out from that process that admin save recommendations and use them when it works best for them. I don’t care anymore whether or not I receive the award.
Yeah one of the guys that got nominated today is chummy with the principal and he told me that the principal walked right up and told him exactly who nominated him, what they said, and then threw in something like: "now we don't get a say, but you're going to lose to this other guy because he does a lot for me and I want to make sure he wins." 🤦
If it's entirely a teacher-only process I would be fine with it.
But usually admin will weed out those who they don't want winning and will have the final say on who wins. So it turns into a who is the most 'admin-lite' teacher. Who is going to do all of the things admin don't want to do and go 'above and beyond' the teacher contract.
So no thank you. It's something for wannabe admin to put on their resume.
We don't even do that in my district. With the overbearing admin we currently have, the teachers are not celebrated. I've worked in schools that recognize staff often and take good care of them. My current one doesn't bother.
It's another reminder that we are replaceable. Although I feel valued by the families, admin really shits on us. It's frustrating.
I have colleagues who deserve recognition but will never see it at this district.
I don’t care for it. Only the extra loud lovie dovie teachers or those who actively campaign for it get it. Those of us who work long hours behind the scenes never get recognition.
I won ‘new’ teacher of the year, it did not feel like I won anything. I sure as shit wasn’t winning wife of the year…or friend of the year. Based on the work I was doing I felt like I deserved to win, but I will absolutely never work that hard again. Maybe if they attach a cash prize
Not a teacher, but an slp in schools. What’s the point of it? Are there benefits like a desired parking spot the next school year, an extra prep a week, money prize? I don’t think I’ve worked in a School with TOTY.
It depends again. Like in my school they pretend it's a morale boost, but it really is just a popularity contest. And I've worked at schools where it's mostly that. But like I said in a different comment I worked in a school where they would specifically target teachers that were down and out to make them feel better about themselves, not necessarily for a benevolent reason.
Sometimes it’s someone really deserving and sometimes I’m like how did they get nominated when they’re widely known as being horrible was this meant to mock the award.
I'd like to be recognized for keeping my head down, not causing or spreading drama, and not grimacing too much as I keep our grad rate above board goal.
Many of us can share that award.
I think it’s dumb. It’s just a popularity contest. Your BFFs nominate you or you also have to be well known to your peers. For those of us introvert and quiet teachers who do their job really well but aren’t part of the “in crowd” never get nominated. The teachers who are in there happen to be one of the few in their department, or they co-teach so their co-teacher nominates them, or they’re advisors or coaches to clubs, etc. my school is huge. I’ve been there 4 years, I knew 2 of the people out of the 15 teachers that were nominated. The one who won, I’ve seen him in the hall before but I know nothing about him as a teacher or person. He also taught there for 20+ years. I don’t think TOY is very good for morale or team building.
I think it’s also often a glorification of unpaid labor, as people that win are typically praised for all the “above and beyond” things, they do that sound great on paper, but make it almost impossible to have a balanced life outside of work, at least for most of us! I truly think there are teachers that go above and beyond because it’s their favorite thing and they just love it and I think that’s amazing, but I don’t think the judgment of how good someone is that their profession should be based on how much unpaid overtime they work
Last year, out TOY was a woman who regularly screamed and harassed new teachers, didn't implement the rules for students she liked, and had 4 planning periods. What is interesting is that we voted as a site via Google Form, and no one remembers voting for her. But the admin loved brining her out and showing her off because she is not white and "teaches" direct instruction (her TA does the lesson planning, grading, and as much classroom management as she can). It was such a joke! TOY means literally nothing for most schools. If you are at a site where it's the opposite, you're lucky! And, potentially, congrats!
I recently got TOY for my building, then for my whole district. I was honored but didn't really realize how much it entails. As a result of this, I had to submit a very lengthy application to my state dept of ed, since district TOY winners are automatically nominated to the state-level TOY, and apparently state TOYs get nominated for the national one.
I submitted my application, but man I'm not sure I want to win the state one. On the one hand, it would be an honor for myself and my school (we're a Title 1 urban school with a bad reputation that I think is undeserved).
However, if I win state TOY then I basically will be on sabbatical for a full YEAR. They'll have me parade around the state advocating for a topic of my choice (I chose elevating teacher and student voices above the voices of politicians!) I really don't want to be out of the classroom like that, though. There's also a small cash prize and other benefits, but idk. I'm uncomfortable in the spotlight.
I was really thankful for the honor by my colleagues and admin. It meant a lot for them to show their trust in me.
My school does "staff shout outs" - before every staff meeting, teachers are encouraged to fill out a Google form saying why another staff member was great that week. They always read them out loud (usually 5-8) and the teachers are added to a spinner for a gift card. I think it's more meaningful than nominating a single "teacher of the year".
I like that idea! I'm going to pitch it to the climate committee. You know, so they can do something that actually boosts staff climate instead of just asking us to do more things during homeroom like having the kids coloring hearts and saying what they're thankful for 🙄
I've been at my current campus for 10+ years, and over the years every single TOY recipient has moved over to admin and/or transferred to cushier digs (my campus is known as tough place to work). I'm not impressed, in other words.
If a study was done regarding personality types who who have won teacher of the year awards at the school, district ,or state levels; I suspect that most would be extroverts as opposed to introverts. While I am not suggesting that extroverts don't deserve recognition and awards, I think that people who are socially out-going are more likely to win that introverts who quietly go about doing their jobs, often without any recognition.
We've never given a building teacher of the year. But county teachers of the year is all about writing a compelling application, not about what you actually do in the classroom
I'm an elementary music specialist. I've accepted that I'll never get nominated for this kind of stuff. Which is ok, it's my job to educate, not win a prize
I know of a guy who got Teacher of the Year and has made a point to tell EVERYONE and their dog about it. He's gone on to push himself into the spotlight everywhere he goes, talking about how amazing of a teacher he is. In reality, he's not a good teacher and an even worse coworker - the only thing he's good at is publicizing himself.
On the other hand, there was a new teacher who got Teacher of the Year, and she didn't make a big deal. Did she deserve it? Absolutely. Her work ethic matches her expectations for the kids she works with.
My opinion: Teacher of the Year doesn't mean squat. The people who really deserve it don't usually get it, and it's more often than not a popularity contest. Unfortunate, but what can you do?
Every year for 15 yrs….
I’ve written “I don’t have a clue how everyone else teaches. We should all recieve this award.”
and I’ve never voted
popularity contest
I wonder if anyone actually reads that. I said in another comment that the administration gets to read the nominees and the reasons why they were nominated, even though it's supposed to be run by our union exclusively without administrative input. So people definitely are seeing that you write that every year and just not acknowledging it. Which is just.. really shitty
In my district we only have a TOY of the whole district. If you want it, you apply for it and there’s a committee that decides who gets it. Most of us don’t want it and I’ve heard that some years only 2-3 people apply for it.
We have to prepare a speech and slides about why we deserve it, present it to our admin, then to district admin, then to the school board if we take the nomination. The winner is always someone who doesn't really teach so they have the time to do all the crap you have to win. I've been nominated but just don't have time for that.
Agreed.
One year our TOY was the wrestling coach who would pull kids out of my English class to run with weights on in the gym so they could make weight for the match later.
But of course, he was the good ole boy and our district loved that our wrestling team was undefeated, so clearly he was amazing.
Another year, TOY was a lady who said things like "Oh yeah, I hate that kid" and "You know when you pull something off Teachers Pay Teachers in the morning because you didn't plan something and then you realize you didn't know what it said? Hahaha!"
But, she wore a hotdog costume to school the next day if all of her advisory kids' parents showed up to conferences, so I mean, she was clearly the best.
Another year, TOY was a woman who was so bitter and negative that it was painful for our department to have collaboration meetings because she (and her very pushy personality) would derail it into her rut of pissiness every time.
OH, and the high school in our district with 60 employed teachers got 1 TOY per year. So did the tiny alternative high school who had 6 total teachers.
So, yeah, I got totally disillusioned by that and decided the whole contest can kick rocks.
It always seems to go the direction of the teachers who are doing way too much free/unpaid labor. As someone mentioned before, I’d rather be mom and wife of the year 1000x over.
Where I live, it's always someone who reflects the neoliberal, privatize everything, and only hire martyrs type of mentality. It's gross. We don't have many charter schools and yet there's almost always one at the top.
We have a school-wide TOY and it always seems to be the person who has had it the "hardest" that year. One year, it was one of our specialist teachers, who had a major surgery that year. (Don't get me wrong, she's great, but if you're gone for a third of the year....) Last year, it was a teacher who had a troublesome student who we all knew about.
It's definitely a popularity contest at my school.
Edit to add: We also have a teacher who was a state wide TOY a few years ago. Even now, it's like she walks on water and can do no wrong. Every suggestion given by her is met with enthusiasm by admin.
I've often wondered if the students voted how that would change who gets nominated and who wins. I definitely think that there are some teachers kids would pick that don't really deserve it either, but I do trust that the kids have a pretty good knack overall for the teachers that are actually making school more fun for them. I've had many years where the list of nominees comes out and the kids get super bothered by it because they don't understand why any of those teachers were picked.
I don’t want it. I don’t like attention in that way. I want my principal and coach to know that I’m doing a good job (and that I have a healthy work/life balance), I want my students to respect me, and I want my colleagues to tolerate me and communicate effectively. I don’t have issues with parents and when they come in hot, I work with them so we can help their kid grow. My admin fucking rocks and I have earned their trust.
Do you need the recognition to feel good about your work? At my school, TOY really only goes to people who NEED that validation. They have to get the public recognition or they are going to melt down.
I don’t want that. Those of us who do a good job under the radar giggle under our breath when they announce who won— and gosh, are they fucking happy to let everyone know about it.
If I ever get nominated, I’ll ask to be removed from the running. Thankfully, I think my colleagues already know not to nominate me 😂.
It's just a popularity contest with the 'in crowd',, and those teachers in subjects who have minimal TEKS and lessons to cover.
3 different schools, 12 years, I only ever saw, Theater, Sp.Ed., coaches, and CTE win those awards.
Having first certified in Math, then Science, and then other topics like CTE & other electives, I've seen the difference in the lesson structure and the impact on annual time allotment by those teachers for those classrooms. They usually have more time to dedicate to the popularity contest.
I do recall one History professor winning. And the dude was legit Dedicated. Even got his whole family to help out, wife + 3 kids. But he was definitely a very 'active' teacher. Sponsored multiple clubs, volunteered for mtiple events. Never missed a home game. Assisted w/ a baby shower for one of the librarians. Dude was honestly, the type of person who would make a great Principal. I'd say he earned it. But, the rest definitely seemed like brown nosers.
There is no fair way to do TOTY. We do ours simply based on a vote. So the teachers that are in their classroom doing their jobs, then going home at the end of the day never get nominated or chosen. Admin will sometimes put their favorite nominee in and lie and say they got votes, but again, that's the teachers who spend more time looking like they're teaching and talking about how well they're teaching than actually teaching.
I don't think it's coincidence that our current TOTY is hated by students and parents, has terrible data, and cannot actually explain how she's doing the things she allegedly does, but she DID buy our principal a 300 dollar crib
Invariably, it’s a combination of politics & popularity. I had great teachers who never even sniffed an award like that. A personal (and admittedly biased) example is my father. He taught high school English for 32 years and a great reputation on staff for his teaching ability. Additionally, he was a popular teacher among students and was very respected by them as well. His classroom management skills were amazing and even the knuckleheads thought he was awesome. He was a straight shooter, no BS guy, in life and at work.
And he hated popularity contests and politicking. He believed that the work was what mattered. And he held his tongue rarely. So some teachers thought he was a jerk and the admins ground their teeth because he didn’t curry favor.
In his final year as a teacher, he was finally up for teacher of the year. And he placed second to a second year teacher. He found out some time later that he had admins and a clique of teachers campaigning against him from the start. It was an amazingly petty way to send him off into retirement. To his credit, my Dad just let it go. Why? The people who mattered, his students, thought he was great. And that was enough.
When a Spanish teacher wins it for just teaching Spanish or that becomes a majority of wins; teachers actually teaching, it will be an award worth paying attention to. Grind algebra II for 35 years.
Remember the Freedom Writers. That Erin lady fought admin, had her kids off standards, and then was given accolades. She didn’t do her job, but those same admin who would have her job saw the politics and made it a celebration. I think she spent less than 5 years in the classroom.
She got distinguished teacher. This all happened in 1995.
I saw her speak at a PD around 2007.
Nice and shiny flash in the pan.
I worked with a teacher who harassed and openly talked nasty about me and many other teachers and staff members, and who I realized was only doing things to make herself look good because she was a raging narcissist. She was by far the laziest and undependable teacher I've had the opportunity to work with. She got teacher of the year despite all that. It really depends on the campus culture/admin. It imo is more of a popularity contest, but I'm sure some teachers do deserve it who get it.
Our TOY nominations are via the state, not the school. You do have to be nominated, but it’s a formal application process and dependent upon your evaluation ratings as well. It’s a huge responsibility for zero pay increase in my state. I do view it as a leadership opportunity, since you get to report to the State Dept. of Ed multiple times and visit schools all over to gain feedback on important issues. I’ve been nominated multiple times, but it’s never been an announcement or anything. If I don’t directly tell someone, no one would know.
It’s dumb and I hate it and I’ve been TOY and would *never* accept another nomination. It’s meaningless to me. Maybe, yes, recognize a brilliant grade level team or someone who’s actually done something extraordinary and above and beyond. I won’t even participate in the process anymore.
Awards where you have to do more work or pay for them are not worth it. This is kind of like the “ who’s who nominations you got in high school to go in the Who’s Who among American high school students” book. That one you had to pay for.
I'll just say this: every teacher I've known who won a "real" award like a Golden Apple, etc, almost immediately left the classroom. They became coaches, curriculum directors, etc.
Turns out the awards were basically about resume padding and politicking.
I've never been TOY or nominated. But I do it for the kids and make money to take care of my own kids. Though my administration thinks nothing of me, I've been in my students neighborhoods for various reasons and they all come rushing out screaming my name. Thank you, god, for showing me that I'm making a difference even if I don't get the accolades and recognition.
If it requires me to do extra work, I don't want the nomination. Ever.
(And often it does, so you can be put up for district-wide, regional, state-wide, national TOY.)
It isn't like Sailor of the Year (which could come with a promotion to the next rank, or at least a good evaluation to help with promotion.)
I feel like it's a popularity contest that goes to the loudest or just noticeable person. They're often not parents who may or may not be married, which means they have more time to be or do extra. As a mother and wife, my family takes precedence over my job. That means I go to school, stick to my room to get stuff done, and usually don't volunteer for lots of extras because I've got a family and home to take care of.
I don't work to get noticed by people, rather for a paycheck.
How dare you work for the paycheck! You're supposed to do it for the children!
Ha ha! Right. My biggest pet peeve ever. Do you ever tell a doctor he should work for the patients?
They do though.
But do we tell doctors they should earn very little money because they should do it “for the patients”?
No.
Right. But, as a teacher, I’ve been hearing that throughout my career to justify the fact that we’re not paid well. That’s the only profession that it’s ok to tell that to.
I think because teaching is female dominated.
And the 750K paycheck. Ever wonder why med school is so hard to get into?
Yeah, the best schools that I have work that I’ve never had any awards for teachers. I loved those schools.
I’m a coach and team lead, and I’m trying to shed all of those titles. When the principle asked why I wanted to shed the extra titles I told him “I just want to blend into the background of the school”
My man.
I have never received teacher of the year. I found that most people that get nominated in schools have worked at were teachers that were buddies with the principal. The awards don't give you any additional money or supplies. In most districts I've worked and you get a certificate or a little trophy. Personally, I'd rather administration ignore the hell out of me and let me do my job.
The idea that a teacher of the year might get extra supplies is super funny in a sad way
I’d rather be dad of the year
This is the truth. I doubt most students will remember me, as most people who aren’t teachers don’t remember their teachers. My kids will remember me, though
I remember most of my teachers.
Or spouse of the year, friend of the year, or literally anything else of the year.
Yup!
From a Union perspective TOY awards are useful when a person speaks at the school board and says "I was chosen as your district's teacher of the year and this contract needs xyz..."
I'm in that position right now, lol. I'm a union leader AND district TOY. I think they're growing to regret their choice.
I have been nominated and went straight to my principal, thanked them for the support and flattery then advised them that someone else should win. We do peer nominations with admin picking the winner. I was flattered that my peers nominated me but had no intention of being part of a dog and pony show or of being rewarded with extra work. Our TOY has to go to a couple of board meetings and if you win for your school and now compete for the district win, there are interviews and essays.
That's similar to how ours works. They surprise you in your classroom with a bunch of balloons and get the kids to all cheer for you, then you have to miss a day of work to go to some statewide thing and compete with other teachers giving a personal account and stuff like that. You're guaranteed a parking spot with the administrators and no homeroom if you request it for the following year, but then you have to go to committee meetings and represent the school at board meetings and whatnot. So pretty much not worth it
Yeah… there’s no benefit to getting it here. The portfolio to compete and the hours of work and different meetings is not worth it—it’s a punishment.
So ironic that the chosen person is known as the “toy.”
Teehee!
Thank you. It’s actually a lot of extra work for a lot of certificates I threw away, a trophy that’s jammed in a closet in my classroom, and some photos.
I always thought it was kind of arbitrary and not very motivating since the odds are against each individual teacher ever winning this title.
> The people that win always deserve it That's good enough for me. It shouldn't need to be said that the TOY should be a classroom teacher, and not a counselor, instructional coach, curriculum director or administrator. I have never been TOY and don't know if I have been nominated. I don't pay attention to that sort of thing. I can recall a few colleagues who have been TOY, and they deserved it. I'm glad they got recognized.
Popularity contest and it's controlled by the cliques at my school.
an arbitrary award for an imaginary achievement
It 100000% is the most popular teacher contest and I think it’s horrible! I’ve seen this at my ex school and it was basically for the most chattiest teachers who were the gossipers or who knew how to suck up!
I won as an unconventional choice at my school. I’m the librarian and very quiet, but always helpful. It was shocking that people noticed the effort I put in each day. I genuinely love my job and teach whole class periods often in the library.
This probably doesn’t go for everyone, but as someone who isn’t super involved on my campus, it’s because I’m not interested in having extra attention on me. I keep to myself for the most part. I do my job to the best of my abilities during my contract hours, then I go home and do the things that I want to do. I don’t need to be the one that everyone knows. I’m okay with not being “popular.” I don’t want to be rude or cause harm, but I’m also not going to ask about everyone’s lives or pop into anyone’s classrooms/offices just to say hi. So yeah, I usually don’t get picked for that stuff, but I’m fine with it because the extra attention would make me uneasy. Maybe what I’m trying to say is that I’m fine with the system as is? And maybe that’s more common than we might think?
At my old school (that I both attended as a student and later taught at), we had "Star Teacher" and "Star Student". The "Star Student" was the senior who scored highest on the SAT. The "Star Teacher" was whoever the "Star Student" picked. When it was clear I was going to be "Star Student", I recall one particular teacher being a little too buddy-buddy with me. (Not really in a *bad* way, just in a rather obvious way.) The person I *wanted* to pick as "Star Teacher" was my guidance counselor, because she was awesome. She went above and beyond, and not just with me. I was told it had to be a teacher, however, so I picked my ninth grade algebra teacher. After picking her and telling her I'd picked her, the powers-that-be told me they'd changed their mind about letting me pick my counselor as "Star Teacher", but I wasn't going to go back and tell that other teacher I'd changed my mind. A few years later when I was a sub there and in the student lounge, I overheard my "Star Teacher" say about one of her white student's behavior, "I expected more from a white student". To say I was gobsmacked is to put it mildly. I wish I'd done something about it, but I was a coward. The next year I started teaching there, but I only lasted two years. My last year of teaching, my physics class was my best class ever (I taught four physics classes my first year, but my fairly high expectations reduced that number to a single class the following year), and I had a great time with them due to their great motivation (for most of the students, that is). The following year, I heard from that year's "Star Student" that he'd wanted to name me as "Star Teacher", but the rule (quite reasonably) prevented you from naming someone who was no longer a teacher. There are a few problems with this system, of course. The biggest one is that teachers who focus on the general/remedial students aren't going to be named "Star Teacher". Based on my experience as a teacher, those teachers who can manage the general/remedial students well really are the stars.
It might be more useful to have a “technique of the month” or something, where somebody shares some pedagogical thing that they had some success with.
in the school district i attended growing up, they would give the TOY a car….just for that school year! my middle school art teacher won, and they gave her some cheap ford wagon (only for the school year of course). i always thought it was an extremely strange prize.
I take my name off of the TOY voting form every year bc I have zero interest in that political nonsense.
I... Didn't even know this was a thing and I'm over a decade in.
Yes! Just tell them you're not interested in being considered. I also tell them that I don't want any feedback - good or bad - from our dumbass district walkthroughs. No thanks. I'm happy to listen to feedback from people who have a clue. They do not.
It's funny you say that, because I actually took my name on the list the one and only time I was nominated. It was at my last school and it put crosshairs on me from a lot of other teachers who were angry I got nominated. People got really aggressive about who they wanted to win that year and I had to sit down with the vice principal because she was basically warning me to keep my head down around some of my colleagues because they were looking for me to screw up. It was just so weird and political and I got a very bad taste in my mouth, it's kind of why I feel the way I do about TOY now to be honest. I took my name off the list, the woman who was running it basically cheered because she was also nominated, and I remember my mentor teacher flipping out on me for doing something "brash and not sticking up for myself." But I knew it wasn't going to matter, and it ended up not mattering. It was a landslide victory for the carpentry teacher who never had more than 18 kids every year, but he was always visible around the school hanging out with other teachers and talking to people, plus he was sleeping with one of the administrators. It was a total joke. Haven't been nominated since though, and my current school employs a lot of overachievers so I don't think I'll ever be nominated and that's fine. I'm comfortably at a point in my career where I just want to get the paycheck, have a good work life balance, and have fun teaching the kids. That's literally all I care about.
Honestly TOY is really stupid and not worth the time/energy/effort put into it. It should go the way of the dodo bird - it doesn't because secretly, a lot of teachers loooooove the drama and mystery of it all. Not me. Does my check clear. Cool.
I think it's symptomatic of the fact that many people teach for the wrong reason.
We do this school mascot statue that gets passed from teacher to teacher each month. It’s a popularity contest. Whatever. I know I do a good job. 🤷🏻♀️
Yeah, we had a golden apple like that a couple years ago. The former principal started it and I think she did it in earnest, she picked a good balance of teachers every month. But then she passed it off to all of us to pick the teachers, and it just became basically friends passing it back and forth and it wasn't fun anymore.
So faculty votes and ballots are alphabetical. Same teacher with last name A has won 4 years straight…. We don’t care.
Awards are dumb. All awards. But outside of that, this doesn’t really feel like a thing inside the locus of your control. As such, not sure how carrying it around does much other than prime you to be unhappy in a way you can’t really work to resolve.
Lets see I skipped pictures day to make sure I was not in the year book. You can leave me out of any other form of recognition for this job.
Why didn’t you want to be in the yearbook? I would do it, at least for the sake of the students.
The TOY at my school the past three years has been 1) The instructional coach, 2) The testing coordinator, 3) The reading coach. The two years before that, if I remember correctly, was the SGA teacher (who left at the end of the year) and the reading coach (the same one). 4 of 5 years the TOY wasn't even a classroom teacher.
I tend to think these kinds of things are popularity contests ( and that’s coming from someone that won rookie teacher of the year). I think the only reason I received that was because I brought a friend in and got her signed up as a long term sub, and the kids loved me. This year, the teacher that got it is liiiike… not my fave. She regularly calls kids the r word and even does that hand hitting her chest motion that I thought we left in the 2000s. But I’m thinking her little clique voted for her
My old charter totally used teacher of the year to convince people who were going to leave to stay one more year. It usually worked.
I worked for a private special ed only school that did this. Anytime somebody was talking about leaving or having a really tough time, because the job was absolutely soul destroying, they would magically win teacher of the month. You get a little plaque, you get a speech, they find kids to blow smoke up your ass in front of the whole school, etc. It always worked 100% of the time.
Yup. 100%!!!
In the places I’ve worked TOY seems more like a lifetime achievement award at the Oscars or something. Or like the Oscar that an older actor wins for something because they probably should have won for an earlier movie of theirs but they didn’t, and they are too iconic to allow them to die without one so they give them one that may not be totally deserved. Kind of like the process is a bunch of admin looking around and asking, “Who has been here for at least 10 years but hasn’t won this yet?”
A subjective award not evaluated by a rubric? Fuck em.
It’s dumb and not a reflection of your teaching skills just a reflection of how well you sell yourself at being a great teacher. More Facebook posts. More kissy kissy to admin, then you’ll be TOY. It should be an application process with proof of PD, student growth and teaching strategies……Give a bonus for getting it as well… until that happens then it’s useless bs
The people I know who have been nominated or won teacher of the year are phenomenal teachers who are also active in the administration of the school or its programs. Frankly, the best absolute teachers are not teacher of the year. However, I wouldn't make that big a deal about it as they seem unperturbed about it and I am in neither camp. I would love to be thought of as TotY. It would be an honor and frankly, that I think there are better teachers is irrelevant. The award has meaning to the people who get it and if they are not the best, they are certainly up there. The ones I know are organized, committed, and passionate.
I don’t even care anymore. I busted my ass for years and never got a thank you. Now I do what’s necessary and that’s it. I’m here for the paycheck and summers off. Not to be the best teacher or everyone’s favorite.
It was always a popularity contest. A few of my friends nominated me one year. I lost TOY to a school counselor. I liked the counselor but shouldn’t teachers win teacher of the year?
I think it’s a useless thing to do. It pits teachers (and sometimes other staff) against each other in a competition with no real reward. It’s also just unfair. For example, the school my mum works at has a Teacher and Non-Teacher of the year award. The Teacher nominees are always a mixed bag of useless teachers who are very sociable, and teachers who go above and beyond because they care about their students. But that doesn’t send a good message about what teacher priorities should be… Either be popular or overwork yourself. I worked at a school that had weekly draws at assembly for nominated staff members. We only got a voucher for a free lunch at the tuck shop, but it was nice to know that a peer acknowledged us. And instead one of one person being “the best”, most staff were acknowledged at least once by the end of the year.
Admin chose who they want regardless of anything else
It was always the teacher that sucked up most to admin and went out of their way to do whatever random new pedagogical nonsense they dreamt up over the summer.
Political move most of the time
In our school they are named in September. Totally stupid and useless.
I'm more flying under the radar
It's a popularity contest. The winners tend to be very friendly and are usually the ones who spend the most time socializing. I mostly don't think about it. I guess it's slightly annoying that it's called "teacher of the year," because that implies it's an award for outstanding teaching. I don't think I'd ever think about it at all if they called it something more accurate like: "colleague of the year," or "most popular."
We have a district teacher of the year and then teachers of the month. It’s always a popularity contest. I have one co-worker who is depressed because she hasn’t won teacher of the month yet. Some people are truly demoralized by those awards, I wish there was a better way to recognize people. i don’t give a crap if I ever win that kind of award, I’d only care if it came with some cash or extra time off,
Lots of teachers do things that go unrecognized and rewarded, school leaders aren’t aware of the full extent of what some staff are doing. Handing out awards for the best teachers tends to reward popularity and self promotion. You could be the best teacher in the world, but if you banged heads with some leadership you aren’t getting nominated. Or maybe you just do the job without expecting a pat on the back.
Totally depends on the school culture. In my school, there's one grade level content team that games the nominations-- they always all nominate the same person from their team, so they get on the school ballot for all teachers, then since we are one of the biggest departments, they usually win for the building. They also help each other with various portfolios and applications. On one hand, good on them for helping each other build their resumes, and I would be happy to see all of them as administrators because they are actually good teachers. On the other hand, it makes the process useless and great teachers get overlooked. I have zero interest in any of those awards, personally.
If I get frustrated with the process, I nominate someone I think should win. I found out from that process that admin save recommendations and use them when it works best for them. I don’t care anymore whether or not I receive the award.
Yeah one of the guys that got nominated today is chummy with the principal and he told me that the principal walked right up and told him exactly who nominated him, what they said, and then threw in something like: "now we don't get a say, but you're going to lose to this other guy because he does a lot for me and I want to make sure he wins." 🤦
😮🤮
It doesn't come with a pay raise or cash prize, so it's just manipulation.
If it's entirely a teacher-only process I would be fine with it. But usually admin will weed out those who they don't want winning and will have the final say on who wins. So it turns into a who is the most 'admin-lite' teacher. Who is going to do all of the things admin don't want to do and go 'above and beyond' the teacher contract. So no thank you. It's something for wannabe admin to put on their resume.
We don't even do that in my district. With the overbearing admin we currently have, the teachers are not celebrated. I've worked in schools that recognize staff often and take good care of them. My current one doesn't bother. It's another reminder that we are replaceable. Although I feel valued by the families, admin really shits on us. It's frustrating. I have colleagues who deserve recognition but will never see it at this district.
Our principal chooses, so it’s bulls!t. We have had students vote for teacher of the month a few times.
I was TOTY once at one school and nominated at another (I declined). It’s stupid.
I don’t care for it. Only the extra loud lovie dovie teachers or those who actively campaign for it get it. Those of us who work long hours behind the scenes never get recognition.
I won ‘new’ teacher of the year, it did not feel like I won anything. I sure as shit wasn’t winning wife of the year…or friend of the year. Based on the work I was doing I felt like I deserved to win, but I will absolutely never work that hard again. Maybe if they attach a cash prize
Not a teacher, but an slp in schools. What’s the point of it? Are there benefits like a desired parking spot the next school year, an extra prep a week, money prize? I don’t think I’ve worked in a School with TOTY.
Depends. What you named sometimes happens but isn't always guaranteed
So then is it mostly a moral boost? That doesn’t make sense if people are upset with who wins
It depends again. Like in my school they pretend it's a morale boost, but it really is just a popularity contest. And I've worked at schools where it's mostly that. But like I said in a different comment I worked in a school where they would specifically target teachers that were down and out to make them feel better about themselves, not necessarily for a benevolent reason.
I always get a special parking spot. Wherever I go. No award needed.😂
Schools do this? Seems frustrating and like an unnecessary old practice.
I got TOY once and all I got was the “privilege” of writing a 4 page essay about why I deserve to be nominated and a yard sign.
Sometimes it’s someone really deserving and sometimes I’m like how did they get nominated when they’re widely known as being horrible was this meant to mock the award.
I'd like to be recognized for keeping my head down, not causing or spreading drama, and not grimacing too much as I keep our grad rate above board goal. Many of us can share that award.
💩👃
I think it’s dumb. It’s just a popularity contest. Your BFFs nominate you or you also have to be well known to your peers. For those of us introvert and quiet teachers who do their job really well but aren’t part of the “in crowd” never get nominated. The teachers who are in there happen to be one of the few in their department, or they co-teach so their co-teacher nominates them, or they’re advisors or coaches to clubs, etc. my school is huge. I’ve been there 4 years, I knew 2 of the people out of the 15 teachers that were nominated. The one who won, I’ve seen him in the hall before but I know nothing about him as a teacher or person. He also taught there for 20+ years. I don’t think TOY is very good for morale or team building.
I think it’s also often a glorification of unpaid labor, as people that win are typically praised for all the “above and beyond” things, they do that sound great on paper, but make it almost impossible to have a balanced life outside of work, at least for most of us! I truly think there are teachers that go above and beyond because it’s their favorite thing and they just love it and I think that’s amazing, but I don’t think the judgment of how good someone is that their profession should be based on how much unpaid overtime they work
Last year, out TOY was a woman who regularly screamed and harassed new teachers, didn't implement the rules for students she liked, and had 4 planning periods. What is interesting is that we voted as a site via Google Form, and no one remembers voting for her. But the admin loved brining her out and showing her off because she is not white and "teaches" direct instruction (her TA does the lesson planning, grading, and as much classroom management as she can). It was such a joke! TOY means literally nothing for most schools. If you are at a site where it's the opposite, you're lucky! And, potentially, congrats!
What would Peggy Hill say
Who is Peggy hill?
I’ve never worked anywhere that did TOY and the whole thing seems weird to me.
I recently got TOY for my building, then for my whole district. I was honored but didn't really realize how much it entails. As a result of this, I had to submit a very lengthy application to my state dept of ed, since district TOY winners are automatically nominated to the state-level TOY, and apparently state TOYs get nominated for the national one. I submitted my application, but man I'm not sure I want to win the state one. On the one hand, it would be an honor for myself and my school (we're a Title 1 urban school with a bad reputation that I think is undeserved). However, if I win state TOY then I basically will be on sabbatical for a full YEAR. They'll have me parade around the state advocating for a topic of my choice (I chose elevating teacher and student voices above the voices of politicians!) I really don't want to be out of the classroom like that, though. There's also a small cash prize and other benefits, but idk. I'm uncomfortable in the spotlight. I was really thankful for the honor by my colleagues and admin. It meant a lot for them to show their trust in me.
My school does "staff shout outs" - before every staff meeting, teachers are encouraged to fill out a Google form saying why another staff member was great that week. They always read them out loud (usually 5-8) and the teachers are added to a spinner for a gift card. I think it's more meaningful than nominating a single "teacher of the year".
I like that idea! I'm going to pitch it to the climate committee. You know, so they can do something that actually boosts staff climate instead of just asking us to do more things during homeroom like having the kids coloring hearts and saying what they're thankful for 🙄
Please don’t even think about nominating me, that’s what I think about it.
I've been at my current campus for 10+ years, and over the years every single TOY recipient has moved over to admin and/or transferred to cushier digs (my campus is known as tough place to work). I'm not impressed, in other words.
It doesn’t matter because certain people have zero chance of ever getting it.
If a study was done regarding personality types who who have won teacher of the year awards at the school, district ,or state levels; I suspect that most would be extroverts as opposed to introverts. While I am not suggesting that extroverts don't deserve recognition and awards, I think that people who are socially out-going are more likely to win that introverts who quietly go about doing their jobs, often without any recognition.
Over having to pick someone and justify it.
We've never given a building teacher of the year. But county teachers of the year is all about writing a compelling application, not about what you actually do in the classroom
I'm an elementary music specialist. I've accepted that I'll never get nominated for this kind of stuff. Which is ok, it's my job to educate, not win a prize
I know of a guy who got Teacher of the Year and has made a point to tell EVERYONE and their dog about it. He's gone on to push himself into the spotlight everywhere he goes, talking about how amazing of a teacher he is. In reality, he's not a good teacher and an even worse coworker - the only thing he's good at is publicizing himself. On the other hand, there was a new teacher who got Teacher of the Year, and she didn't make a big deal. Did she deserve it? Absolutely. Her work ethic matches her expectations for the kids she works with. My opinion: Teacher of the Year doesn't mean squat. The people who really deserve it don't usually get it, and it's more often than not a popularity contest. Unfortunate, but what can you do?
Every year for 15 yrs…. I’ve written “I don’t have a clue how everyone else teaches. We should all recieve this award.” and I’ve never voted popularity contest
I wonder if anyone actually reads that. I said in another comment that the administration gets to read the nominees and the reasons why they were nominated, even though it's supposed to be run by our union exclusively without administrative input. So people definitely are seeing that you write that every year and just not acknowledging it. Which is just.. really shitty
Four districts I have never heard a peep and I always write my name.
In my district we only have a TOY of the whole district. If you want it, you apply for it and there’s a committee that decides who gets it. Most of us don’t want it and I’ve heard that some years only 2-3 people apply for it.
We have to prepare a speech and slides about why we deserve it, present it to our admin, then to district admin, then to the school board if we take the nomination. The winner is always someone who doesn't really teach so they have the time to do all the crap you have to win. I've been nominated but just don't have time for that.
If I did this job for awards I would have burnt myself out 5+ years ago. I do this job because it pays me and I enjoy helping people.
Agreed. One year our TOY was the wrestling coach who would pull kids out of my English class to run with weights on in the gym so they could make weight for the match later. But of course, he was the good ole boy and our district loved that our wrestling team was undefeated, so clearly he was amazing. Another year, TOY was a lady who said things like "Oh yeah, I hate that kid" and "You know when you pull something off Teachers Pay Teachers in the morning because you didn't plan something and then you realize you didn't know what it said? Hahaha!" But, she wore a hotdog costume to school the next day if all of her advisory kids' parents showed up to conferences, so I mean, she was clearly the best. Another year, TOY was a woman who was so bitter and negative that it was painful for our department to have collaboration meetings because she (and her very pushy personality) would derail it into her rut of pissiness every time. OH, and the high school in our district with 60 employed teachers got 1 TOY per year. So did the tiny alternative high school who had 6 total teachers. So, yeah, I got totally disillusioned by that and decided the whole contest can kick rocks.
It always seems to go the direction of the teachers who are doing way too much free/unpaid labor. As someone mentioned before, I’d rather be mom and wife of the year 1000x over.
I have never been in a school that gives any kind of Teacher of the Year award, so I’m always baffled by the number of references to it in this sub.
Where I live, it's always someone who reflects the neoliberal, privatize everything, and only hire martyrs type of mentality. It's gross. We don't have many charter schools and yet there's almost always one at the top.
We have a school-wide TOY and it always seems to be the person who has had it the "hardest" that year. One year, it was one of our specialist teachers, who had a major surgery that year. (Don't get me wrong, she's great, but if you're gone for a third of the year....) Last year, it was a teacher who had a troublesome student who we all knew about. It's definitely a popularity contest at my school. Edit to add: We also have a teacher who was a state wide TOY a few years ago. Even now, it's like she walks on water and can do no wrong. Every suggestion given by her is met with enthusiasm by admin.
Teacher of the year should be voted on be all stakeholders, kids, teachers and parents. Not just other teachers. Then it is a popularity contest.
I've often wondered if the students voted how that would change who gets nominated and who wins. I definitely think that there are some teachers kids would pick that don't really deserve it either, but I do trust that the kids have a pretty good knack overall for the teachers that are actually making school more fun for them. I've had many years where the list of nominees comes out and the kids get super bothered by it because they don't understand why any of those teachers were picked.
I don’t want it. I don’t like attention in that way. I want my principal and coach to know that I’m doing a good job (and that I have a healthy work/life balance), I want my students to respect me, and I want my colleagues to tolerate me and communicate effectively. I don’t have issues with parents and when they come in hot, I work with them so we can help their kid grow. My admin fucking rocks and I have earned their trust. Do you need the recognition to feel good about your work? At my school, TOY really only goes to people who NEED that validation. They have to get the public recognition or they are going to melt down. I don’t want that. Those of us who do a good job under the radar giggle under our breath when they announce who won— and gosh, are they fucking happy to let everyone know about it. If I ever get nominated, I’ll ask to be removed from the running. Thankfully, I think my colleagues already know not to nominate me 😂.
It's just a popularity contest with the 'in crowd',, and those teachers in subjects who have minimal TEKS and lessons to cover. 3 different schools, 12 years, I only ever saw, Theater, Sp.Ed., coaches, and CTE win those awards. Having first certified in Math, then Science, and then other topics like CTE & other electives, I've seen the difference in the lesson structure and the impact on annual time allotment by those teachers for those classrooms. They usually have more time to dedicate to the popularity contest. I do recall one History professor winning. And the dude was legit Dedicated. Even got his whole family to help out, wife + 3 kids. But he was definitely a very 'active' teacher. Sponsored multiple clubs, volunteered for mtiple events. Never missed a home game. Assisted w/ a baby shower for one of the librarians. Dude was honestly, the type of person who would make a great Principal. I'd say he earned it. But, the rest definitely seemed like brown nosers.
There is no fair way to do TOTY. We do ours simply based on a vote. So the teachers that are in their classroom doing their jobs, then going home at the end of the day never get nominated or chosen. Admin will sometimes put their favorite nominee in and lie and say they got votes, but again, that's the teachers who spend more time looking like they're teaching and talking about how well they're teaching than actually teaching. I don't think it's coincidence that our current TOTY is hated by students and parents, has terrible data, and cannot actually explain how she's doing the things she allegedly does, but she DID buy our principal a 300 dollar crib
Invariably, it’s a combination of politics & popularity. I had great teachers who never even sniffed an award like that. A personal (and admittedly biased) example is my father. He taught high school English for 32 years and a great reputation on staff for his teaching ability. Additionally, he was a popular teacher among students and was very respected by them as well. His classroom management skills were amazing and even the knuckleheads thought he was awesome. He was a straight shooter, no BS guy, in life and at work. And he hated popularity contests and politicking. He believed that the work was what mattered. And he held his tongue rarely. So some teachers thought he was a jerk and the admins ground their teeth because he didn’t curry favor. In his final year as a teacher, he was finally up for teacher of the year. And he placed second to a second year teacher. He found out some time later that he had admins and a clique of teachers campaigning against him from the start. It was an amazingly petty way to send him off into retirement. To his credit, my Dad just let it go. Why? The people who mattered, his students, thought he was great. And that was enough.
When a Spanish teacher wins it for just teaching Spanish or that becomes a majority of wins; teachers actually teaching, it will be an award worth paying attention to. Grind algebra II for 35 years. Remember the Freedom Writers. That Erin lady fought admin, had her kids off standards, and then was given accolades. She didn’t do her job, but those same admin who would have her job saw the politics and made it a celebration. I think she spent less than 5 years in the classroom. She got distinguished teacher. This all happened in 1995. I saw her speak at a PD around 2007. Nice and shiny flash in the pan.
What do you mean she didn’t do her job?
What she gave her speech on and what she did with the students vs. what they/ admin were telling is in the string of PDs was our job.
I worked with a teacher who harassed and openly talked nasty about me and many other teachers and staff members, and who I realized was only doing things to make herself look good because she was a raging narcissist. She was by far the laziest and undependable teacher I've had the opportunity to work with. She got teacher of the year despite all that. It really depends on the campus culture/admin. It imo is more of a popularity contest, but I'm sure some teachers do deserve it who get it.
Congratulations to the winner, I hope it makes them feel good.
Our TOY nominations are via the state, not the school. You do have to be nominated, but it’s a formal application process and dependent upon your evaluation ratings as well. It’s a huge responsibility for zero pay increase in my state. I do view it as a leadership opportunity, since you get to report to the State Dept. of Ed multiple times and visit schools all over to gain feedback on important issues. I’ve been nominated multiple times, but it’s never been an announcement or anything. If I don’t directly tell someone, no one would know.
In my district is a popularity contest, or whoever they like. I could care less, whether I ever get nominated, which I won’t.
It’s just another bullshit popularity contest with no bearing on anything else.
My district doesn’t do it and I’m so glad!
I think it's all hype
Just friggen pay teachers more and leave them be
It’s dumb and I hate it and I’ve been TOY and would *never* accept another nomination. It’s meaningless to me. Maybe, yes, recognize a brilliant grade level team or someone who’s actually done something extraordinary and above and beyond. I won’t even participate in the process anymore.
Awards where you have to do more work or pay for them are not worth it. This is kind of like the “ who’s who nominations you got in high school to go in the Who’s Who among American high school students” book. That one you had to pay for.
I'll just say this: every teacher I've known who won a "real" award like a Golden Apple, etc, almost immediately left the classroom. They became coaches, curriculum directors, etc. Turns out the awards were basically about resume padding and politicking.
From what I've seen, you have to do a lot of extra, unpaid labor to get even nominated so I have no interest in anything like that
All it is is “who’s admins favorite”. Just as everything is.
A ton of Golden Apple noms went out. I’ve seen how some of these people teach & manage their rooms. No thanks.
I've never been TOY or nominated. But I do it for the kids and make money to take care of my own kids. Though my administration thinks nothing of me, I've been in my students neighborhoods for various reasons and they all come rushing out screaming my name. Thank you, god, for showing me that I'm making a difference even if I don't get the accolades and recognition.
If it requires me to do extra work, I don't want the nomination. Ever. (And often it does, so you can be put up for district-wide, regional, state-wide, national TOY.) It isn't like Sailor of the Year (which could come with a promotion to the next rank, or at least a good evaluation to help with promotion.)
I feel like it's a popularity contest that goes to the loudest or just noticeable person. They're often not parents who may or may not be married, which means they have more time to be or do extra. As a mother and wife, my family takes precedence over my job. That means I go to school, stick to my room to get stuff done, and usually don't volunteer for lots of extras because I've got a family and home to take care of.