Teacher Of The Year Named By West Contra Costa School District

RICHMOND, CA —Grant Elementary School teacher Tiffany Chieudjui was recently named West Contra Costa School District’s Teacher of the Year (TOY). Chieudjui received a visit from Contra Costa County Office of Education Superintendent of Schools Karen Sakata who personally congratulated her.

Chieudjui has taught kindergarten, first grade, and third grade for the district. Prior, she taught high school in the Peace Corps, in Cameroon.

When asked about her philosophy of teaching, Chieudjui answers: “Lifelong learners grow to help better the world,” says Chieudjui. “It is my personal goal to create a nurturing environment where my students are inspired, curiosity is piqued, hard work is valued, friendships are fostered, and laughter comes easily. Students who fall in love with learning will become our future leaders, who help spread the values that are held in our classroom.”

“The majority of my students do not have the same opportunities that their middle-income peers are allotted,” adds Chieudjui. “Therefore, it is deeply rewarding for me to create an environment where my students not only learn their grade-level standards, but become eager to explore the world and better themselves through learning.”

On the evening of September 28, 2017, the 22 Contra Costa County TOYs, class of 2017-18, will be introduced and honored at the annual Teacher of the Year Dinner Celebration, held at the Concord Hilton. A crowd of some 500 are expected to attend.

Throughout the school year, Superintendent Sakata makes it a point to visit each incoming TOY in their classrooms, prior to the Dinner Celebration. This is a great way for her to meet the teachers and their students, as well as take in the day’s lesson plan. When individually introducing the TOYs at the Dinner Celebration, Sakata will tell the audience about her visit and will quote one or two of the students’ remarks about their revered teacher.

>>Also See: Please Don't Help My Kids

Currently, there are approximately 8,400 teachers educating more than 176,000 students in Contra Costa County’s public schools. To recognize their efforts and bring much-deserved honor to the teaching profession, the participating school districts in the county named their TOY representatives in mid March. The incoming 22 TOYs represent 17 Contra Costa County school districts, the Contra Costa Community College District, and the Contra Costa County Office of Education (CCCOE). Most of these representatives, those who teach grades K thru 12, are eligible to compete in the Contra Costa County TOY competition. The two top teachers in the county TOY program will represent Contra Costa County in the California State TOY Program this coming fall.

-Photo caption: (l-r) Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools Karen Sakata, Grant Elementary teacher Tiffany Chieudjui, Grant Elementary Principal Farnaz Heydari.

-Photo Credit: Terry Koehne, CCCOE

Also See:

• SEE: Injured Hiker Rescued From Mt. Diablo
• Calif. Wildflowers In All Their Splendor: VIDEO
• Home Prices Near Record As Sales Soar