AACTE Congratulates 2020 National Teacher of the Year Tabatha Rosproy
AACTE congratulates 2020 National Teacher of the Year Tabatha Rosproy and AACTE member institution Fort Hays State University for preparing her for a distinguished teaching career. Rosproy, a 10-year veteran Kansas teacher, is the first early childhood educator to be named National Teacher of the Year by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO).
Rosproy teaches preschool at Winfield Early Learning Center in Winfield, Kansas, which is housed in a local retirement community and nursing home. Her classroom is an inclusive inter-generational program that provides preschoolers and residents with multiple daily interactions and serves special education and typically developing preschoolers in a full-day setting. As the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of school buildings across the country, Rosproy served as a co-chair of the educator task force that helped compile Kansas’s continuous learning guidance.
“We are so proud of Tabatha and excited to have her represent the state of Kansas,” said Kansas Education Commissioner Randy Watson. “She is a remarkable educator whose passion for the profession is reflected daily in the eyes of her young students and in the members of the retirement community who volunteer in her classroom. Her ability to bridge this generational gap in a single classroom is perhaps one of the richest experiences we can offer our students and our communities. Early childhood education is critical to the lifelong success of students and Tabatha represents the excellence Kansas education and its teachers are known for.”
Rosproy holds a bachelor of arts in unified early childhood education from Southwestern College and is near completion of her master of science in education (English as a Secondary or Other Language) at Fort Hays State University. As a career preschool educator, she hopes to bring a voice hopes to the importance of quality early childhood education for all, with an emphasis on social-emotional education at all age levels.
“America’s teachers have undertaken heroic efforts to continue serving their students this spring through remote learning,” said CCSSO Executive Director Carissa Moffat Miller. “Tabatha Rosproy embodies the spirit demonstrated by so many teachers, caring for her students and leading the Kansas educators who helped to develop the state’s continuity of learning plan. I congratulate her and look forward to her leadership on behalf of educators at this critical time.”
Rosproy was one of four finalists for the 2020 National Teacher of the Year, including Chris Dier (Louisiana), Leila Kubesch (Ohio) and Linda Rost (Montana).
Tags: AACTE partner organizations, early childhood education, teacher quality
