PATRICIA FAIRCLOUGH NAMED M-DCPS TEACHER OF THE YEAR

MIAMI – Second-grade teacher Patricia Fairclough of Air Base Elementary School had the great distinction of being named the Francisco R. Walker Miami-Dade County Teacher of the Year. The recognition ceremony was held this week at the Doral Golf Resort & Spa.

Four finalists vied for the coveted title, which included one nominee from each of the District’s four regions. Fairclough, a National Board Certified teacher, started her career at Air Base Elementary School in 2001. She is known for her multi-cultural approach to teaching, which contributes to her students’ self-knowledge and development of intrapersonal intelligence.

Through the implementation of her innovative strategies with the Accelerated Reading Program, student test scores have risen rapidly school-wide. Fairclough was most recently named one of three state winners of Gov. Charlie Crist’s Black History Month Excellence in Education Award Contest.

The Teacher of the Year program is a joint venture between United Teachers of Dade, Miami-Dade County Council of PTAs/PTSAs and Miami-Dade County Public Schools. UnitedHealthcare sponsored the event. Co-sponsors included Toyota of South Florida, Nova Southeastern University, Univision 23 and Telefutura 69.

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   09-JJS/399/DF

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