Vote for Lynn Parris ABCTE Teacher of the year http://tgli.de/KfT

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Lynn Parris was hired by our charter cyber school part time in 2004 as a shipping and receiving clerk. In the spring of 2005 Lynn was brought on as an English teacher after our existing English teacher unexpectedly stepped down from their position. At the time Lynn was running a homeschool support group for over 100 families at her church for several years. She was able to take her educational training and her strong home school teaching experience to fill in the gaps for this need at our school. After she had taught for a year she began to investigate how she could become certified as a teacher at our school. She came across the ABCTE program at one of the first charter school conferences that our school attended. She diligently pursued the opportunity to validate the positive feedback she was already receiving from her fellow teachers and students.

In many ways Lynn is the ideal choice for this award. Her first career was as a homemaker for 25 years. She has worked tirelessly to home school all five of her own children which four have already graduated from college, and two are teachers. She has a passion for education that extends beyond any normal career interest. Her parents both have post graduate degrees from college, and they have instilled in her a high value for education. Mrs. Parris is a hero among her students that she has mentored for the past 6 years. She takes the time to respond to their individual needs as if they were being schooled in her home. She is a true pioneer in a new form of education where her unique experience and talents have been used to harness learning in cyber setting.

Lynn Parris teaches at a cyber charter school in Pennsylvania. The name of the school is Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School. She has provided instructional leadership at our school for the past six years in language arts. In the past three years Mrs. Parris’s Language Arts classes have received the highest proficiency scores in our school on the state mandated achievement test. (Pennsylvania System of School Assessment, “PSSA”) 
She has also been successful on raising the skill level of the lower level of students in her classes. She has been teaching the 8th grade for six years. She has mentored a new 7th grade teacher this year. The students in this 7th grade Language Arts class have now reached the same level of proficiency on the PSSA test. She loves literature and passes her love for reading onto her students. She is also passionate about teaching students to express themselves through the written word.

Mrs. Parris has also demonstrated much dedication to her profession. She has assisted and helped plan leadership retreats, trips and activities since 2006. She has initiated and facilitated a book club for two years that has captured the interest of many cyber students who are typically apathetic toward group interaction. These activities would be considered extra curricular at our school. They help to promote a positive school culture of participation and engagement that stems a tide of apathy among many cyber schooled students. These types of activities are beyond the normal job description of a teacher. In June, July and August when many teachers are resting she has been pursuing a graduate degree in English and Administration.

In summary, it is my sincere hope that you will consider this nomination for the ABCTE teacher of the year award. It is hard to imagine that the person who conceived of this program to have a better poster person to validate the vision and goals of the American Board for Certification and Teacher Excellence. Mrs. Parris has pioneered the instructional leadership and teacher excellence that is at the heart of the program’s mission. Her students have validated her instruction by achieving proficiency in literacy and writing. Please consider Mrs. Parris’s nomination for The ABCTE teacher of the year Award.