Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/65746
years and has spent nine years in her cur- rent position as a seventh-grade English teacher. She holds a bachelor of arts degree in speech communication from California Polytechnic State University and a profes- sional clear credential in secondary English education from CSU Northridge. She is the 2005 California League of Middle Schools Educator of the Year for Southern Califor- nia, a 2009 PTA Honorary Service Award winner and a Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment mentor. TO CTA STATE COUNCIL: WE ARE ALL REMARKABLE "I can't say anything without first thanking you for the incredibly hard work you do on behalf of California's educators, many of whom you will never meet," Mieliwocki told CTA's State Council in March. "It's an inspiration to me and I am very, very thankful for it. It is your representation and your wise stewardship of this association that makes us the strong and proud group of professionals that we are today. She reflected on teaching, saying, "We are nothing and we are everything." She " talked about the perspective she shares with the other California Teachers of the Year: Florence Avognon, Los Angeles County Education Association; Tom Collett, New- ark Teachers Association; Shari Ann Her- out, Travis Unified Teachers Association; and Ken LaVigne, Whittier Secondary Edu- cation Association. "In our first year of teaching, we were enthusiastic teachers committed to impart- ing our content knowledge to our students. We were the ones coming in early, staying late; we' lunch time and working with colleagues aſter school on our lessons to make sure that tomorrow was even better; and we' d be the ones calling parents at devoting our weekends going to conven- tions and conferences just like this to try to strengthen our craſt. "And now, years later, aſter all those kids d be that we've seen, we see the true importance in teaching is not necessarily in our subject matter. It's in the connections we make with young people; it's the way we help our students become better people. We know value lies in all the little acts of love that a teacher can give a child — whether it's the first smile or the only smile that an adult will give that child that day; whether it's the fact that your classroom is a safe harbor for a kid that needs refuge at lunchtime; maybe it's the high-five for a job well done; or maybe it's having a shoulder strong enough for a kid to cry on when his mother dies from breast cancer. "Whatever that act is, what rises above all the rest is that as teachers, we realize what we do is about loving children and understanding who they are as human beings is far more than the sum of their academic parts. There is simply nothing we won't do to help a child, to help every child realize that their life, their learning, their development as a young person is every- thing to us. We love our students maybe even more than we love our jobs. "We teachers have a front row seat to the future. Our impact is enormous. It shapes the lives of every child we teach and it fills the better world we all live in. Far too many work too hard for too long without ever being reminded about that." Mieliwocki said it will be her mission to " share that message, "how incredibly impor- tant teachers are. You are all remarkable, we are all remarkable, and I'm so honored I get to represent you. May 2012 / www.cta.org 29