FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Florida teacher was honored Thursday night for her accomplishments in the classroom.
The school district recognized Monarch High School’s Tammy Freeman, an English teacher, as the best teacher in Broward County. Now, she’s in the running to be the best in the state.
The work of teachers sometimes goes unnoticed, but on Thursday night at the 2018 Caliber Awards at the Broward County Convention Center, the evening revolved around them.
The county’s top educators were celebrated along with Freeman, who teaches English.
“I think they saw the light in me that burns not only to educate but prepare my students for not just ninth grade, but for college and their career,” said Freeman. “and I couldn’t take the anticipation, so when my husband grabbed me and started to scream, ‘You won, you won!’ To be honest with you, I was surprised myself.”
Freeman said she is committed to really getting to know each of her students.
“On day one I memorize every single students’ name, and they’re all amazed at how I could do that, and I do it because I want them to know they are important to me,” said Freeman.
Originally from New York, Freeman began her teaching career 11 years ago and lets her students know she values them.
“Sometimes it’s not easy,” said Freeman. “Sometimes that means believing in my students more than they believe in themselves, but that’s what a teacher does.”
Freeman said she does not limit herself to only caring for students inside a classroom. She wants all of her pupils to know that she’s more than just a teacher.
“I make sure that they know that I actually care about them. Not just their education, but them as a person,” she said. “There are a lot of things that my students go through, and they could go to their parents, to their friends, but I have a lot of students that when they go through life, they come to me because they trust me.”
Despite getting to wear many different hats, Freeman will always remember the reason she became a teacher.
“In order to be the same inspiration to my students that my teachers had been to me,” Freeman explained.
Along with winning the Teacher of the Year award, Freeman also won a brand new 2018 Toyota Camry SE.
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