It’s National Teacher Day today -- Tuesday -- and three San Diego educators are getting special attention. KPBS reporter Ana Tintocalis has more.
Mr. Ortiz was once told he wasn't “college material.” Mrs. Browne ditched a pre-med degree for teaching. And Mrs. Ward attended the high school she now teaches at.
Three very different people, but they have one thing in common. Each one has been named a Teacher of the Year in San Diego.
Rudy Ortiz is a preschool teacher at Euclid Elementary school. It was his middle school counselor who said he wasn't going to amount to much. Since then, Ortiz has used that moment as a source of inspiration.
Courtney Browne ditched a pre-med degree to teach Mann Middle School kids about seven years ago. Almost every weekend, she takes her students and their parents out to the Tijuana Estuary, and together they help to restore it.
And Elizabeth Ward is an English teacher at Serra High School. It's the same campus she attended as a teenager. Coworkers and students say Ward brings a spirit of teamwork to the classroom every day.
Ana Tintocalis, KPBS News.
