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Year's Top Teacher Knows Her Kids

Pasco Education Foundation

Kathryn Bylsma, a science teacher at Long Middle School, was named Pasco County's top teacher on Saturday night.

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By RONNIE BLAIR

rblair@tampatrib.com

Published: January 25, 2009

WESLEY CHAPEL - Kathryn Bylsma was always too engrossed in working with her students to pay much attention to the whole Teacher of the Year process.

She had no choice but to pay attention this year.

Bylsma, a science teacher at Long Middle School, was named Pasco County's top teacher Saturday night at a dinner that also recognized other school district employees.

"This whole event just boggles my mind, it truly does," Bylsma said in an interview before learning she had won. "That we acknowledge what happens in the classroom is pretty important."

In addition to the Teacher of the Year award, the Pasco Education Foundation also honored Terry Rhum, the school district's director of employee relations, as Administrator of the Year; Donna Lyons, the principal's secretary at Giella Elementary, as School-Related Personnel of the Year; and Leroy Christopher, plant manager at Stewart Middle School, as Non-Instructional Non-Bargaining Employee of the Year.

The awards ceremony was held at the Pasco Schools Center for the Arts at Wesley Chapel High School.

Here is the type of educator Bylsma is: When asked to describe the greatest classroom challenges she faces, she enlisted a couple of her students to discuss what they thought those challenges were.

Bylsma liked their answers.

"Knowing your kids," she said, quoting the students. "That's the critical issue."

The students also suggested that one challenge Bylsma faces is making the lessons relevant to the students' lives.

"We're dealing with a techie bunch," Bylsma said. "They are so savvy."

Bylsma, whose background is in microbiology, briefly ran a day care center after her children were born. That's when the education bug gripped her, and she returned to school to become a teacher.

The other finalists for Teacher of the Year were Stephanie Walls, a language arts teacher at Pine View Middle School, and I. David Berger, who teaches English to International Baccalaureate students, Advanced Placement students and 12th-grade students at Land O' Lakes High.

Walls said when she received word she was a Teacher of the Year finalist, she initially thought she was the victim of a prank telephone call.

Once she realized the call was on the level, she "felt incredibly honored," she said.

"I do what I do because I love it," Walls said. "You don't do it for the recognition."

Her best moments often don't come until years after a student has moved on to high school. Walls said she will run into former students who express their appreciation.

"That's the greatest glory of all," she said.

Berger said he was expecting a different telephone call the day a secretary patched through the caller who informed him he was a Teacher of the Year finalist.

"I was taken aback by it, and I think I had to process it for a moment," he said.

Berger, a teacher for 16 years, said he originally had planned to become a lawyer, but his aspirations changed in college. He decided to give teaching a try, although he was lukewarm about it at first. As he worked on his master's degree, he said, his passion began to grow.

"I haven't been let down yet," Berger said.

Finalists for Administrator of the Year were Steve Knobl, principal at Gulf High School; and Ken Miesner, principal at Richey Elementary School.

Finalists for School Related Personnel of the Year were Kelly Frasier, a clinic assistant at Wesley Chapel Elementary; and Tracy Sanderson, a guidance secretary at Lacoochee Elementary.

Finalists for Non-Instructional Non-Bargaining Employee of the Year were Beverly Lopata, the district's food and nutrition training manager; DeEtte Parrish, bookkeeping resource assistant for the district; and Theresa Schuldt, a secretary in the district's facilities and maintenance services department.

Reporter Ronnie Blair can be reached at (813) 948-4218.

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