Kansas Preschool Teacher Is the 2020 National Teacher of the Year
Meet the new National Teacher of the Year! Preschool teacher Tabatha Rosproy, a Kansas-NEA member, is the first early childhood educator to win the honor, which is given annually by the Council of Chief State School Officers.
“I am so honored to have been chosen to represent the incredible educators in our nation,” said Rosproy, in a statement. As National Teacher of the Year, Rosproy said she hopes to shine a light on the importance of early childhood education, and also on the “powerful role of social-emotional education at all ages.”
Rosproy, who has taught for 10 years, teaches in a rare, intergenerational program—a preschool located inside a retirement community and nursing home in Winfield, Kansas, a small town near the Oklahoma state line. Her classroom is a loving, multi-generational space where preschoolers, including some with special needs, interact daily with residential volunteers, called “Grandmas and Grandpas,” who help foster a sense of community and connections.
“It’s the most joyful experience you can imagine,” Rosproy told CBS News. “[The children] come into our class and not only do they get love and connection from the teachers and staff, but they get it from the grandmas and grandpas…They get connected to people who are older than them, who have different abilities, and it has built so much empathy in their hearts.”
Rosproy was chosen from among four outstanding national finalists—all state teachers of the year and NEA members—who included: Chris Dier, a Louisiana high CONTINUE READING: Kansas Preschool Teacher Is the 2020 National Teacher of the Year