Twin Rivers Names Teachers of the Year

Congratulations to Sharon Smith and Kadhir Rajagopal, the Twin Rivers 2010-2011 Teachers of the Year. Smith and Rajagopal will be honored along with teachers representing other local school districts at the Sacramento County Office of Education's annual Teachers of the Year awards banquet Sept. 1. At that time, two teachers will be identified as the Sacramento County Teachers of the Year and will participate in the statewide competition.

Sharon Smith currently teaches third grade at Regency Park Elementary School. Her involvement with brain-based instruction has taught her that the brain craves an experience to attach to memory.

"Creating experiences tied to curriculum is crucial, writes Smith in her essay to the County Office of Education. "They can be tied to music, movement, or reenactment. I breathe life into my lessons to capture my students' attention and bring relevancy to the subject matter."

Kadhir Rajagopal teaches Algebra at Grant Union High School. Closing the achievement gap is the driving force behind his approach to teaching. It's what keeps him up late at night and consumes his every waking hour.

"The story of my teaching experience has been helping students rise from failure to success," writes Rajagopal. "My greatest accomplishment in education is my success in helping students who have failed for years to consistently exceed all expectations and close the achievement gap in math."

Rajagopal has seen a lot of success with his "DaPAC" (Pacers Achieving College) summer program that has helped a group of students move from failing algebra in 8th grade to scoring highest in our district in Algebra and entering Trigonometry/Pre-calculus in their sophomore year.

The Sacramento County Teachers of the Year program recognizes the achievements of local educators, and raises awareness of the valuable role that teachers play in the lives of students and in the community.

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