Angela Kaloger, Sickles Teach Of The Year

Veteran reading coach, Angela Kaloger, is no stranger to winning awards.

In 1995, she was the Teacher of the Year at Ben Hill Middle School. She won the same honor at Sickles high School in 2000. And just this year Kaloger earned Teacher of the Year again.

"I was really honored to win the award this year," she said. "It was a humbling experience because there are so many fine and hardworking teachers here at Sickles."

Kaloger began her career in Ohio where she taught for three years, before moving to Florida, where she has been teaching for the last 24 years. 

"When I was a little girl I wanted to be a teacher.  Although, when I was in college,  I had second thoughts and wanted to go into public relations," Kaloger recalled during a recent interview.

Education won.

Kaloger is an integral part of Sickles School Reading Leadership Team, which is made up of administrators, teachers and reading coaches.  It is their job to create a capacity for reading knowledge as well as focus on literary concerns within the school.   

"We come up with what we need and she comes up with a creative way to get it into the teachers' hands," said Sickle's Principal Jake Russell.

One of the ways that Kaloger gets the creative lessons into the teachers' hands is through what she calls, "Lunch & Learns."  According to Kaloger, over 30 teachers showed up for her last "L and L."

The L and L's began with Kaloger cooking lunch for teachers, who not only consumed what she prepared, but were there to share creative ideas and approaches to helping students connect with the material that they were teaching. 

"She takes your ideas and molds them into something better," said Maureen Brooks, a Sickle's reading teacher.

Shea Shaw, who also teaches reading at Sickles, echoed that sentiment.

"She is so caring and when it comes to the students she teaches first with her heart, which is what makes her such a special teacher," Shaw said.

Kaloger views herself as a resource.

"I love helping people.  I don't have all the answers, but I like the challenge of trying to figure out how to help the teachers to help the kids,"  she said.