And the winner is....JAKE

Woot! Woot! Last week we received word that Jake had been selected as the state Science teacher of the year. "you have been selected as the Tennessee Science Teachers Association SCIENCE EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR for grades 5-8. Congratulations! " In my mind there is no one that deserves it more. He is a very dedicated educator, sometimes too dedicated that it can be annoying if you are his wife or children but his passion is teaching and he rocks it. He may not be his students favorite teacher but he is the one that is preparing them for life because he does push them and believe in them. He expects a lot from his students but he ensured that the students know that. Students are often underestimated in what they can accomplish and in some ways coddled but that is not the case for Jake. He truly believes that all students can succeed and learn; they just have to be accountable and the expectation set. Here is a portion of his class website from the beginning of the year: "My name is Jake Farrell. This is my 10th year teaching. I am very excited to work for the community that I live in. I will provide your child with the best educational experience I can to prepare them for the future. In general, our class is broken into two parts; gaining knowledge and applying that knowledge. It is more than just labs and assignments, but really having students develop their own projects while learning about the background principles related to that project. Often, mistakes or design flaws provide the best opportunity to learn. We will value the mistakes we make for the learning opportunities they are." He deserves this recognition and I am beyond happy for him...I just hope he doesn't forget that it's a sacrifice for his entire family (wink, wink).