2011 Educator of the Year: Kristen Loeffler

Kristen Loeffler, a full-time substitute this year at , gets the first-ever equivalent of an A+ from Stow Patch: the 2011 Educator of the Year award. 

"I read it a couple of times, , and said 'Oh my gosh ... my name is there!' I was excited — and I'm not even a contracted employee," Loeffler said. "I was surprised and very flattered when I looked at the list of teachers, I know some of them ... they are all great teachers."

Tracy Starnes nominated Loeffler for the award. Click was the best choice for "Educator of the Year." (Also find the other teachers nominated for the award there.)

Loeffler, who won by receiving the most , was called by Kindergarten Teacher Amanda Cargioli in October to substitue for most of the school year while she was on extended medical leave.

"Kristen has been absolutely amazing to work with while I've been out of the classroom. When I had to unexpectedly leave she was more than willing to come in and work hard to make the transition the easiest it could be for the children and families, while still making the classroom her own," said Cargioli.

Loeffler's last day is tomorrow (Feb. 10) and Cargioli is returning to her students — 19 in the morning class and 18 in the afternoon — on Monday.

Loeffler admitted when she accepted the job, she was pretty nervous — even though she was previously a student teacher at Fishcreek Elementary.

"I was very worried ... I took the job three weeks before parent conferences and four weeks before report cards without knowing anything about any of these kids," she said. "Knowing that I had to go and meet 38 sets of parents, I was very overwhelmed at first to say the least, I just kind of went in and did my best for conferences."

Part of the reason Loeffler believes she was given the award was because of her communication with the students' parents. 

"I was very careful to keep parents in the loop. They always knew what was going on through emails or letters sent home and a weekly newsletter," she said. "I wanted to do that because for many parents when I came in, there were many different subs before me, and parents were concerned about consistency. Kindergarten is for many of them the first time away from home. It's just as hard for the kids as it is for the parents."

As the weeks went by, Loeffler said she got to know the students and parents very well and became more comfortable in the classroom. 

Superintendent Russ Jones said he wasn't surprised that Loeffler was selected as the winner.

"Were very excited and proud of her efforts, but it wasn't much of a surprise considering her professional reputation." 

And Cargioli agrees.

"Kristen went into the classroom and enthusiastically took on conferences, district assessments, and report cards with the poise and confidence of a veteran teacher," said Cargioli. "I am very impressed with her dedication to teaching, with the challenging curriculum she presented to the students, and with the professionalism she has shown throughout her time at Woodland."

Loeffler said her last day is going to be a sad day for her and bittersweet for the students — "They are excited to see their teacher (Cargoli) return, but many have expressed that they will miss me," she said.

"They all want me to come back and be the 'mystery reader' [a special guest book reader]," said Loeffler. "Another student asked if we could both stay and teach the class."

Loeffler hopes to come back to the Stow-Munroe Falls School District soon. She said she'll remain as a substitute by request, but hopes a full-time position opens up.

"I'm open to teaching any other grade, but I just had a great experience with those Kindergarten students ... and in first and third grade when I was student teaching," she said.