--Mount Pleasant Elementary school teacher will now vie for national recognition--

(Dover, DE.) – Courtney Fox, a first grade teacher at Mount Pleasant Elementary School in Wilmington has been chosen as Delaware’s Teacher of the Year for 2008.  Her selection as Delaware’s top educator makes her the forty-fourth Teacher of the Year since Delaware’s recognition program began in 1965.

As Lieutenant Governor John C. Carney Jr. announced Courtney as Delaware’s “top teacher,” more than 400 invited guests at the Sheraton Inn and Conference Center in Dover, including educators, administrators, legislators, former State Teachers of the Year and business leaders, provided a standing ovation for Delaware’s newest Teacher of the Year who has ten years of teaching experience, all in the Brandywine School District.

In 1998, Courtney received a Bachelor of Arts and Science degree in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education from the University of Delaware in Newark. Since that time, Courtney has engaged in Master-level coursework from Fort Hayes State University in Kansas as well as Master-level coursework in Gifted Education from the University of Delaware. She is also aNational Board Certified teacher in Early Childhood Education and has also received Gifted and Talented Teaching Certification.

In 1998, Courtney received a Bachelor of Arts and Science degree in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education from the University of Delaware in Newark.  Since that time, Courtney has engaged in Master-level coursework from Fort Hayes State University in Kansas as well as Master-level coursework in Gifted Education from the University of Delaware.  She is also a National Board Certified teacher in Early Childhood Education and has also received Gifted and Talented Teaching Certification.

Following her graduation from the University of Delaware, Courtney began teaching kindergarten at the Pierre S. DuPont Elementary School. Just one year later, in 1999, she taught first grade at Mount Pleasant Elementary where she has remained since. Also, in 2004, Courtney began working with the Brandywine School District’s Gifted and Talented Program.

Fox has been extremely active in improving the quality of education in Delaware. She has trained K-1 teachers in new assessment procedures for statewide consistency; has served on the Brandywine School District Language Arts Committee; consults and trains teachers nationally in Responsive Classroom Approach; is a mentor with the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards and is also a lead mentor for the Brandywine School District.

The newly-selected Teacher of the Year has also received many accolades and awards over her short career. She has received a Superstars in Education Award presented by the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce; an Excellence in Education Award from MBNA; received a Character in Education: Promising Practices Award; and is included in Who’s Who in Education.

When asked about her philosophy on teaching, Fox stated, “Good teachers do what they do because they care. They care about everyone who enters their school, they care about their students’ families, they care about teaching as a profession, they care about their colleagues, and they have a deep passion for affecting everyone they meet in a positive way. Because they care so much, they are grateful for the opportunity to impact others by being part of a school.” Added Fox, “I believe good teachers look ahead and set yearly goals for each child but recognize the importance of every day. As a teacher, I leave every day excited about the next and am so glad that this is how I have chosen to spend my life.”

The process of selecting Delaware’s Teacher of the Year is very demanding and is designed to find that teacher who is most representative of the entire teaching profession. Through in-class observations, portfolio reviews and consideration of finalists by a representative panel, the process finds that one person who will become this year’s Teacher of the Year for Delaware.

Fox now inherits an enormous task from outgoing Teacher of the Year Caridad Alonso by representing all teachers in Delaware. She will address community groups, business leaders, legislators, and educational organizations in an effort to inform the public about the status of Delaware schools. She will also become Delaware’s entrant in the national program presented by ING Foundation which is a project of the Council of Chief State School Officers and sponsored by Scholastic, Inc.

By action of the General Assembly, Fox will receive a $5000 grant to use for the educational benefit of her students, as well two personal grants totaling an additional $5000. The remaining 18 school district candidates will each receive a personal grant of $2000.

Fox will also receive an educational technology package valued at approximately $17,000 from the SMARTer Kids Foundation. The package includes a SMART Board(tm) interactive whiteboard, floor stand and software; an NEC VT465 portable projector from NEC Solutions America; creative- learning software from Immersive Education; and a 32-pad Classroom Performance System from eInstruction Corporation.

The new Teacher of the Year will also receive a Dell laptop computer; a $1,000 grant for educational/classroom use from Harcourt Assessment, Inc.; grants from the Delaware State Education Association, the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce and the Delaware Professional Standards Board; a State of Delaware Teacher of the Year license plate from the Division of Motor Vehicles; free graduate-level courses from Delaware’s higher education institutions; a gold watch from the Delaware State Teachers of the Year Association and lunch in Washington D.C. with Senator Thomas R. Carper.

Other organizations that made presentations to the newly-selected Teacher of the Year include: the Delaware Chief School Officers Association; Delaware Association of School Administrators; Delaware School Boards Association; University of Delaware; Delaware State University; Wesley College; Delaware Technical and Community College; Delaware Association of Student Councils; and the Future Educators of America.