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North County Times - San Diego County, CA

Turtleback educator wins DisneyHand Teacher Award

By: ERIKA AYN FINCH - For the North County Times
April 10, 2004

RANCHO BERNARDO ---- Julie Harris says she is lucky to teach at Turtleback Elementary School, but listening to her talk about teaching, it appears it’s her students who are truly lucky.

The Walt Disney Co. recently named the fifth-grade teacher as a winner of its DisneyHand Teacher Award, a prestigious honor that recognizes teachers for their creativity and the positive influence they have on children. Harris is one of 39 teachers to receive the national award in 2004 and the only teacher from California.

“There are quite a few teachers from Turtleback who have received this award in the past,” Harris said. “I am among such great teachers, and I am so excited about the award, but it's very humbling when you consider who I work with on a daily basis.”

Harris said she was notified last fall that an anonymous parent of one of her former students nominated her for the award. In order to be considered, Harris had to fill out an application and answer several essay questions about her teaching style.

“I filled it out over winter break, sent it off and forgot about it,” Harris said. “I never thought anything like that would happen.”

In January she received a packet of information, informing her that 150,000 teachers had been nominated and 10,000 had filled out applications for consideration. Of those 10,000, 150 teachers were recommended to a national selection committee, and 39 were chosen to receive the award.

Harris received a phone call March 31 informing her that she was one of those 39 educators.

“I couldn't believe it,” said Harris. “I told (the Disney representative), ‘Now I am mindful that tomorrow is April Fool’s Day but that’s OK, just keep talking because this is one of the best pranks anyone has ever pulled.’"

The award includes a $10,000 honorarium for Harris and a $5,000 honorarium for the elementary school. She will also be honored at an awards ceremony at Disneyland in July and she will spend a week in Orlando, Fla., in October where she will take workshops coordinated by the Center for Collaborative Education out of Boston.

“That is really special to me,” Harris said, referring to the workshop series. “It's an opportunity to see education from another perspective, and an opportunity to get together with teachers from all over the United States and listen, talk and learn.”

It seems that the other teachers will probably do their fair share of learning from Harris, 50, who has been a teacher for 28 years. She received her bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and teaching credential from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. She spent many years teaching gifted and artistic students in South Central Los Angeles before relocating to North County in the 1980s. She spent four years teaching at Westwood Elementary School in Poway before coming to Turtleback when the school opened in 1990.

Harris also taught education students at Cal State San Marcos from 1995 to 1997 in the university’s Distinguished Teacher in Residence Program. She said she enjoyed working with future educators, but she missed being in the classroom with children.

“This is the perfect job for me,” Harris said. “It has the people element and the intellectual element because you have to understand and learn theory and how people learn, how to motivate.”

Poway Superintendent Donald Phillips said he’s glad that Harris has found the “perfect job.” He said the school district is lucky to have such a dedicated teacher.

“Julie Harris exemplifies the fine teaching that makes a difference for students and their families,” Phillips said. “It is gratifying to hear from Julie that many of her students and parents stay in touch with her as they continue to have successful learning experiences.”

© 1997-2004 North County Times