When Linda Okumura was in fourth grade, her teacher, Mrs. Davis, visited her and her peers at their homes, making each and every one of them feel special.
“She was an inspiration to me,” said Okumura, first-grade teacher at Pacific Elementary School.
Last week, Okumura was one of 16 teachers named 2011-2012 Los Angeles County Teacher of the Year among K-12 educators.
After 34 years working as a teacher, Okumura has been an inspiration to her own share of classrooms and students – from pre-schoolers and elementary schoolers to college students. “[She is] always challenging them as individuals to stretch the limits of their academic capabilities,” said Kim Linz, principal of Pacific Elementary School, in a statement. “She is a master at engaging students and discovering ways to bring the outside world into her first grade classroom.”
In a letter of recommendation, Okumura’s former student, Brian Chao, who is now in eighth grade, wrote that she always goes the extra mile for her students. “I know this because I used to see her working in her classroom when I went to play at the school on weekends,” he wrote. “We even got a phone call from her one evening to tell us that our first chick hatched in our classroom!”
To make classes more enjoyable, Chao wrote, Okumura often dressed up as different historical figures, like Abraham Lincoln and Johnny Appleseed.
Before she was chosen LA County Teacher of the Year, Okumura went through a panel interview and submitted essays, lesson plans and other materials to the judging panel. Last spring, Okumura was also named Manhattan Beach Unified School District Teacher of the Year.
She began her career teaching first grade at Heliotrope Elementary School after receiving her teaching credential from the University of Southern California. She went on to teach third and fourth grade at Heliotrope and for the Lancaster school district, and later, college students at Antelope Valley College. This allowed her to experience the process of education on all levels, she said. “Seeing just how important those early years are, that’s why I’m back in first grade,” she said, adding, “I believe that building a firm foundation in the early years is so important.”
Okumura has come full circle in more than one way. Her mother worked for Los Angeles Unified School District as a special education assistant and had a huge influence on her career, Okumura said. “I was able to see how much she cared and how much energy she put into helping her students,” she said, adding, “I grew up with idea that education is really important.”
Building relationships with and involving her students’ parents is key, Okumura said. Twenty years ago, she introduced “Parents as Partners” to her classroom. When a student is “Star of the Week,” she invites his or her parents to teach a lesson to the class.
One parent taught the class how to swing a golf club, she said. Another, a radiologist, showed X-rays and explained how to set a cast. A parent who was a cardiologist brought in a pig’s heart to show the class. “They get to see their parents as the expert among their peers,” she said, adding, “It also gives children the opportunity to learn something beyond what the first grade curriculum can offer.”
Chao mentioned the program in his letter of recommendation. “She also invited every parent to teach us fun things that our textbooks couldn’t, such as making movies, origami, cooking fried rice, and yoga to name a few,” he wrote.
At Antelope, Okumura taught classes titled, “Child and Adolescent Development” and “Creative Experiences for Children.” She also served as the program director for a mentoring program for middle school and high school children, giving college tours, tutoring sessions and lectures discussing higher education.
Okumura said the award goes beyond herself as a teacher. “I really feel this honor is not just for me, it’s really for my first grade team, my school and my district,” she said.
