Teacher Of The Year Finalist Helps Kids Find Joy In Tough Year

CLEARWATER, FL — It's one thing to be named a state finalist for teacher of the year during a normal school year. But it takes someone with that extra touch of creativity, passion and patience to be named a teacher of the year finalist during a global pandemic, said Jacob Oliva, the Florida Board of Education's public schools chancellor.

Those are the qualities that fifth-grade Eisenhower Elementary School teacher Sarah Ann Painter brought to her classroom during the 2020-21 school year, despite contending with mandated face masks and the challenge of keeping brick-and-mortar students 6 feet apart while simultaneously teaching students watching online from home.

"I'd be lying if I said the school year wasn't challenging," Painter said. "There were times when the online students would drop off due to technical problems or a student would have difficulty with their face mask."

At those moments, Painter uttered a phrase that, before long, became a mantra of encouragement and hope for her students.

"I'd tell them to 'Find joy,'" she said. "And they'd all shout back 'Find joy!' It was a reminder to make the best out of difficult circumstances and to be appreciative for all that we have."

It was Painter's ability to provide the children not only with a sense of normalcy at a time of confusion and uncertainty but connect with each of them and even inject fun into her lessons that earned her the honor of being one of five finalists for Florida Teacher of the Year, said Eisenhower Elementary School Principal Antoinette Wilson.

It wasn't only her knack for reaching students that set her apart, said Wilson. Painter went above and beyond to connect with parents of both in-person and online students who were filled with angst and uncertainty about what was best for their children during the coronavirus pandemic.

Wilson said patience is a byword for Painter, the mother of six and a Pinellas County teacher for 18 years. She's taught at Eisenhower for 13 years.

Painter holds a master's degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Florida and serves as chairwoman of the School Advisory Council, representative for language arts and school liaison for the extended day program.

“She’s one of those teachers every principal would love to have in their building,” Wilson said. "She's always looking for ways to make things better."

"I can't imagine doing anything else," Painter said. "I find joy in being around these kids. The rewards I receive from them are so much more than anything I can give them."

Painter said she was in the middle of a lesson during the school day May 6 when a parade of state education officials marched into her classroom bearing bouquets of balloons and a banner with her photo prominently displayed on it.

She said her students gasped while she stood there with a stunned expression on her face. When she finally realized what was happening, she couldn't hold back her tears.

"I was so flustered, I couldn't speak," she said. "It's such an honor, and to be called out during a school year when we are experiencing a pandemic and there's no rule book to go by means the world to me."

Painter was also commended by Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran for her work organizing common planning and collaboration for fifth-grade teachers throughout the district, and for creating an open-door policy for colleagues to observe her teaching practices.

“My congratulations to Sarah Ann Painter as one of five 2022 Florida Teacher of the Year state finalists," said Corcoran. “Sarah’s devotion to her students will continue to mold them into the best that they can be and give them the tools needed to become successful. We know in Pinellas County we have so many good teachers, but I also want to say to Mrs. Painter that she is not only an exceptional teacher, but an exceptional human being.”

“Ms. Painter is an asset to Pinellas County Schools and the teaching profession as she regularly has diverse classrooms of students and she pushes all students to be their best selves," said Pinellas County School Superintendent Michael Grego.

The five 2022 Teacher of the Year finalists, which include teachers from Sarasota, Duval, Volusia and Sumter counties, were chosen from more than 185,000 public school teachers throughout the state.

After each school district selects its teacher of the year, a selection committee representing teachers, principals, parents and the business community reviews each district application and chooses the finalists.

In a tradition that dates back to 1967, the 2021 Florida Teacher of the Year will be announced at a gala in Orlando Thursday evening. The winner will be named the Christa McAuliffe Ambassador for Education in honor of the New Hampshire teacher who died in the Challenger space shuttle explosion in 1986.

Watch the Teacher of the Year announced live at 7 p.m. Thursday online here.