John Burroughs High School Drama instructor Guy Myers was named one of the five California State Teachers of the Year for 2020 by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond on Friday, October 4.
“These five incredible teachers receive this prestigious honor for their focus, drive and determination to teach young people in California,” Thurmond stated in a press release.
“They are not only wonderful representatives for our state, but they also make profound differences in the lives of their students and their communities by employing innovative strategies to increase academic success and narrow the achievement gap among a broad range of students.”
Myers, along with Cupertino High School’s ELD and business law teacher Sean Bui, kindergarten teacher Brenda Barreras from Good Hope Elementary in Perris, Trabuco Mesa Elementary sixth-grade multi-subject teacher Mandy Kelly and West Sonoma County Consortium kindergarten through third grade special education teacher Katya Robinson, will join Thurmond for a luncheon and orientation day later in the month.
They will also be recognized at a State gala in January 2020, along with the other finalists from regions throughout California. Bui will move forward to compete against other State Teachers of the Year, with the U.S. Teacher of the Year announced in the spring of 2020.
The five new California Teachers of the Year for 2020 will promote and be ambassadors for the profession statewide during the next year.
“It is important to motivate and inspire other educators, champion the positive contributions of the teaching profession and highlight the rewards of being a teacher,” Thurmond added. “Great teachers are the core of a great educational system. Yes, teaching changes lives of individual students, but beyond that, teachers show us all that all children can achieve, no matter who they are.”
“It is a humbling and overwhelming honor to be chosen as one of the Teachers of the Year for California,” Myers commented when reached within hours of the announcement on Friday afternoon. “I grew up in public schools, and I am made up from all of the wonderfully supportive and caring teachers who nurtured me along the way.”
“I am so lucky to work with such terrific, creative teachers here at Burroughs and to have a completely dedicated administration who helps me be the best I can be for my students,” Myers also said. “I am so grateful for this acknowledgement of the work I do in the classroom and on the stage.”
A short video about Myers can be viewed online here.
The California Teachers of the Year program began in 1972 as a way to recognize outstanding teachers and encourage new teachers to join the profession.
