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Five teachers from Lehigh Acres, from among 30 teachers district-wide, were recognized for the Golden Apple Teacher Recognition Program Finalist, now in its 34th year.

The finalists were personally interviewed and observed in their classroom by the Golden Apple selection committee. Thirty teachers were surprised in their classroom on Jan. 22 when they found out they were among the finalists. Six teachers then will selected as the Golden Apple Award Recipients, who are honored during the Golden Apple Teacher Recognition Banquet, an event to be held at the Caloosa Sound Convention Center & Amphitheater on Friday, April 16.

The finalists from Lehigh Acres include Dr. Nathan Buehler; Brittany Gonzalez; Anne Hester; Sara Kizzire and Louis Lillard.

“I am extremely honored because I know there are thousands of other hardworking teachers in our district,” Buehler said. “It means everything. This is the Super Bowl of teaching.”

He has been teaching in the district for nine years with this being the first year at Mirror Lakes Elementary School.

“I make learning about real life and relate it to things students find important,” Buehler said of how he keeps his students engaged. “In doing so, I spark the natural curiosity in students, so that learning becomes more of an intrinsic motivation, rather than a task. I love my students. Being able to help guide them into positive and productive adults is a great feeling.”

When Gonzalez, a social communication teacher for first through third grade students at Tortuga Preserve Elementary School, was surprised in her classroom, it took a minute for it all to fully sink in that she was a Golden Apple fainalist.

“I know that everyone applies for the Golden Apple with the hope to make it to the next level, but I never thought it would actually happen,” she said. “I was shocked and extremely thankful to be surprised with a balloon, flowers, and greeting from many of my coworkers. It is apparent that, in everything they do, my administration cares deeply about their teachers and staff. I am thankful for the recognition from my school family and The Foundation for Lee County Public Schools.”

The honor means a great deal to the educator, as she cannot imagine a greater professional compliment than to be considered a Golden Apple Finalist.

“I am the parent of two preschoolers with special needs, work full-time, and am two semesters away from graduating with my master’s degree in Special Education from Florida Gulf Coast University. It is extremely encouraging to know that my hard work and dedication, while in the midst of a pandemic, has been recognized in such an esteemed way,” Gonzalez said.

After she graduated from Florida Gulf Coast University in December 2018, she began working in the school district and was transferred to Tortuga Preserve Elementary School in January 2018.

“It was the best professional decision I have ever made. It is a dynamic, fun, family-oriented, and high-rigor school where everyone supports and encourages each other,” Gonzalez said.

Over the years she has found ways to keep her students engaged by integrating their interests into content areas, providing positive reinforcement, advocating for highly effective learning resources, innovating approaches to curriculum that best suit students with special needs, and, most importantly, allowing herself to be fun and silly with them. 

“I am the type of teacher that always goes above and beyond on dress-up days, room transformations, Fun Fridays, holidays, and more. I recognize that students learn best and are the most engaged when they have a teacher who is spirited and can have fun with them, while still setting high expectations,” she said.

A perk in Gonzalez’s position is she has the same students for up to three years, rewarding her with the opportunity to witness many of their milestones and having their countless “aha” moments, as well as forming strong connections with their families.

“To see a child meet a goal, that they never dreamed they could, is truly a special moment for a teacher. I love my students like my own children, and I do everything in my power to make sure they have everything they need to succeed. I feel that the experiences my students have, as well as getting to know their families, are my favorite parts of being a teacher,” she said.

Kizzire, a ninth and 10th grade biology teacher at Lehigh Senior High School, said she was genuinely surprised since this school year has been chaotic.

“It is humbling to have your peers and leaders come in to congratulate you for doing what you love,” she said, adding that it means she is doing her job right. “Kids come first, always, and in many ways, that is the case for every teacher that I work with. Being a finalist allows me to represent all of the amazing teachers on my team, at my school, and in this county. It also means getting to meet with other amazing teachers from other schools around the district, learn from them, and grow as a teacher myself. I believe we should never stop learning, and this opportunity allows me to grow and learn how to be even better at my craft.”

Kizzire began teaching in the district nine years ago for middle school students. This is the second year at Lehigh Senior High School, which she said was a big jump from middle school, but well worth it. She continues to engage her students by having an open door policy, so students feel connected to the content.

“Given the limited movement allowed in the classroom this year, engagement has been difficult, but not impossible. In biology, we cover a broad spectrum of ideas, and students know that I welcome questions. I don’t ever want a student to think, ‘This is a stupid question.’ If they are curious, so is another student,” Kizzire said. “I love the ‘ah-ha’ moment, when a student finally clicks the pieces together of a concept I am teaching. There is something unique about seeing someone grapple with an idea, and then turn around and take ownership of their learning and the experience.”

East Lee County High School Spanish Teacher Louis Lillard said it was completely shocking to him when he saw his administrative team enter his classroom with his principal, who was showing him a bouquet of flowers, saying “Golden Apple Finalist.”

“I really was totally surprised and it was such a wonderful feeling,” he said, adding that when everyone left the room “I could not stop jumping up and down as I continued my lesson. The kids were so funny as they were all laughing at me like little kids. These 17, 18 and 19 year olds were laughing like little kids. It was awesome.”

Lillard said he is thankful to God and for being selected as a representative of so many awesome teachers around him.

“Being a finalist is so satisfying and encouraging that this should transpire while I am urging my students, who have struggled and then achieved success, to continue forward,” he said. “One success leads to achieving greatness if you only believe in yourself and accept the merits of those around you who contribute to ones accomplishments. Being a finalist mirrors my work as a African American male teaching Spanish. The acceptance of my success is positively intertwined in the academic lives of my students.”

Lillard began teaching in the district 14 years ago, with four of those being at East Lee County High School. Over the years he has perfected his talent of engaging students with his enthusiasm surrounding Spanish, as well as keeping a great sense of humor and respect for his students.

In addition, Lillard is tough on learning, offering awards and tangible credits, such as Spanish snacks and food prepared in class. Intangible awards, such as high praise and helping in building their self-esteem regarding the students accomplishments, is also part of his teaching style.

“They know that I will protect them from anything unfair and build relationships that seem to last over a life-time. My pride in their honest abilities to improve themselves and not shirk hard work or dedication to a learning task until they fully understand it is essential,” he explained. “Building that sort of self-esteem and self-efficacy is an important part of instilling and maintaining student engagement.”

His love of teaching stems from when he has current event conversations with both students whose first language is Spanish and those learning the language.

“It is thrilling to see them talk about world events that are pertinent to their perspectives,” Lillard said. “I do not think students should be afraid of their world. However, I also feel that they should be fully aware of their opinions and able to judge whether their worlds are building bridges or hurting feelings. My mother used to say, ‘You can say anything. It’s the way that you say it that matters.’ I also make it a point to make sure my students can document their thoughts by finding a written source to support or one which they can refute. It makes little sense to me to have a very strong opinion about something which you heard someone say. It is OK to have an opinion, yet that opinion should be based on something authentic. So I require they search for articles or media sources which either support their opinions or with which they can disagree. I love my students and want them to be seekers of truth, visionaries of their own conscience. And all this through learning Spanish!”

Hester, a United States History and US History Honors teacher at East Lee County High School, said she was flabbergasted when all of her administrators walked into her room.

“I’m truthfully still in a state of shock. It hasn’t really sunk in yet,” she said.

The honor means that those who she respects and honors nominated her for the Golden Apple, and that the selection committee saw something in her that stood out.

“It also means that I have responsibility to keep being the best I can be and to go beyond where I think my limits are,” Hester said. “As a finalist, I represent all the teachers at my school and in the district. I want to represent them fairly and well.”

Hester began her teaching career 16 years ago, 15 of which have been in the Lee County School District. This is her third year at East Lee County High School. Over the year she has learned that enthusiasm is what keeps her students engaged.

“I love history, I love learning, and I love teaching. That kind of energy helps students get more engaged and stay more interested in the topic,” Hester said.

The educator also tells lots of stories, since history is one of the rare subjects that one can do that.

“I find that giving my lessons as stories help kids to understand what the story is about and how it relates to all the things we discuss,” Hester said. “Sometimes I tell stories that don’t seem to connect, but it’s part of what I do to help my students better understand nuances of history and make connections.”

The “a-ha” moments is her favorite part of teaching because she gets to say “Yes! That’s exactly it! I knew you could do it!”

“That blooms into a moment where they experience a higher, deeper understanding than they thought they could have,” Hester said. “You can tell when they really experience that because their face lights up, the posture gets a little straighter and you can feel the confidence radiating from them like their own, personal sun.”

COVID-19 challenges/furthering the love of teaching

The love of teaching changed, deepened, last year for these Golden Apple finalist, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced schools to close their doors and go to a distance learning platform. That love blossomed more when school resumed in August with many new learning models, in spite of the challenges it presented.

“Home Connect Learning and hybrid classes are completely new. It has required a completely different approach to teaching. This has been challenging yet rewarding. Lessons learned during the pandemic will ultimately change education for the better” Buehler said. “I am reminded of how resilient and adaptable kids are. The experience of teaching to a student while they are at home is humbling. Despite many challenges, students show up every day with a smile on their faces ready to learn.”

Gonzalez said teaching remotely during the fourth quarter of last year was an unbelievably difficult challenge.

“Distancing learning was tough for my students with cognitive, social-emotional, and behavioral disabilities. Fast forward to face-to-face learning this school year, my next greatest challenge,” she said. “My routine-oriented classroom had to be completely re-conceptualized. My students had to learn the ‘new normal’ that included face masks, social distancing, sharing restrictions, scheduling changes, new routines, loss of social opportunities, and much more.”

From these challenges Gonzalez experienced her love of teaching grow even more as she watched her students make so much academic and social-emotional progress.  

“My love of teaching has grown the most from watching my students make so much academic and social-emotional progress. My students are of varying ages and exceptionalities so their academic achievements have ranged from potty training to mastering multiplication. The special experiences I’ve shared with students, like holiday celebrations, classroom birthday parties, field trips, fun Friday cooking, and STEM activities, have made me love teaching even more. My love of teaching has grown because every day is a new experience where I’m encouraged to learn, love, innovate, and problem-solve more.”

Kizzire has taught face-to-face, all Lee Home Connect, and a hybrid with both at the same time.

“The struggle has been to engage virtual students and build their investment in their learning from afar. I can say I have been more challenged as a teacher this year then I have since a was new to the profession, making lessons work in new ways, and manipulating what we already had to work through social distancing,” she said. “Student endurance is the greatest gift I could have been given this year. Many of my students are optimistic and hardworking, with internet being shut off, parents being out of work, deaths of family members, and having to work to support their family. They inspire me to come in every day and give them my best and love my job even more.”

Lillard said the greatest challenge during the pandemic is engaging students with the “new norm.”

“We were using a cadre of instructional strategies and techniques based around cooperative and collaborative learning. We use to form groups of four students. We placed emphasis on closely sharing papers, hand to hand exchanges of index cards and other communicative strategies to increase student interaction and retention of concepts,” he said. “That has changed dramatically with social distancing requirements. Now we form online groups of students who talk with classmates who are in class and at home. The new norm has created more distance learning techniques, which were learned almost instantaneously.”

Communication is another challenge, Lillard said as not everyone learns from watching a person on a screen, or manipulation of a game, or an app.

“Those who do well are those who are readers in all sense of the word,” he said. “They read instructions, read the lessons, read the resources, and learn to teach themselves. Those who are not good readers tend to need extra assistance, which is no longer immediately accessible in vivo, in person. The human communication process is revealed as needing human eye contact, personable connections, and human essence that is not communicated well with electronic ions from a computer screen. We have become very dependent upon our computers and that can be a downfall when the Wi-Fi is not working or the connection is lost completely in the middle of a discussion.”

Lillard said even with the challenges, he said he has grown closer to some of his students as they talk on the computer like old friends. He said the constant flow of information has not stopped.

As a sponsor of many clubs, the educator has faced challenges with being able to hold meetings. The positive side of this is seeing his students taking on the responsibility of holding online meetings with their peers while live meetings are going on, which Lillard said shows him he is teaching his students how to adapt to the new educational norm.

“It was also immensely rewarding this year, when the school initially began. Students entering the building were warm, eager to be there, and showed genuine interest in learning. It was astounding to see how everyone adapted and made it so enjoyable to teach. I later figured out that the kids that came to school were there because they wanted to be there. And so did I. It was a mutual understanding and very rewarding. This sort of wonderful happening made me love even more what I do,” Lillard said.

For Hester the biggest challenges have been connection and engagement, especially with her Lee Home Connect students.

“It’s difficult to really connect and build relationships with students when all you see is a thumbnail, or a name, on a screen. Connection is almost more difficult, it seems, face-to-face because we can’t really work together like we have, especially behind safety equipment. I know it’s necessary, but it can be difficult at times. I think the kids feel it more strongly because they can’t really engage with their peers and build connections because of fear and necessary precaution to keep everyone safe. This can lead one to feel isolated in a room full of people, and impedes the learning process as a whole, in my opinion,” she said.

Economic issues, such as furloughs, and lost jobs at home, have been tough issues and concerns for students, which ultimately have been interfering with their engagement. The challenge becomes  heightened when one has to socially distance, which takes a toll on teachers and students physically and personally.

“It’s strange to think that proximity to peers, or a teacher walking around could affect engagement so much, but it really does,” Hester said. “Being able to be with my kids and really talk to them about anything and everything is class reinforced my love of teaching. It, to an extent, made me realize how important real interaction with my kids is and how much we depend on it.”