Nomination

I was nominated for the PAEMST in 2009 by California's 1989 PAEMST honoree in science, Steve Keith. I was flattered, but I did not apply.

I love what I do for a living and I take it seriously. Through the years, I have been recognized for excellence, but I had never applied for any such honor. I never aspired to be Teacher of the Year at any level. The only thing I ever envisioned being was Teacher of the... classes I teach.

Steve Keith was one of my official mentors when I arrived in Sacramento at the ripe old age of 21. I don't know how many times I turned to him in panic, but I sure was glad he was there to help.

Steve taught at Casa Roble High School: half a county away, but still in the sprawling San Juan  Unified School District. He led many physics-themed workshops in the popular Schools and Colleges for the Advancement of Teaching Science (yes, SCATS) program at CSU Sacramento. He was clearly passionate about physics. He was level-headed. He was a Mac user. He was a good guy.

As it turns out, he still is. All those things!

A few years ago, the Physics Teacher SOS New Teacher Workshop program that Paul Robinson, Stephanie Finander, and I were running expanded. We had been presenting exclusively at Robinson's San Mateo High School, but I was charged with mirroring the program out of my own school. I needed a partner to co-present the workshops. Steve Keith was the one guy I knew would be up for it.

He retired from the classroom a few years ago, but he's fit as a fiddle and remains a treasure-trove of pedagogical know-how and workshop presentation savvy. Having him on board meant we could run a PTSOS workshop series in Sacramento. The man would be worth his weight in gold if we measured his weight on Jupiter and the gold's weight on the Moon. Think about it!

In any case, he didn't give up on me. He nominated me again in 2011. The only way to stop him from this flattering nagging ("flaggering") was to apply for the dang thing. If I win, he was right and I get to meet the President! More likely I loose to a better-qualified candidate and he leaves me alone about PAEMST. Win-win!