Dyar one of state's best

teacheroftheyear052: Teacher of the Year
Ken Dyar (right), California Teacher of the Year, is pictured with (l to r) Kern County Teacher of the Year Sloan Holmes, Kern County Superintendent of Schools Larry E. Reider and Kern County Teacher of the Year Alternate Sarah Schlussel.
Ken Dyar has always believed there is a strong correlation between physical fitness and academic performance. California Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell agreed and honored Dyar on Nov. 17 as one of the state's five California Teachers of the Year for 2006. Dyar, a physical education and life skills teacher at Cecil Avenue Middle School in Delano, joined Los Osos Middle School's Diana Barnhart, Katherine Edwards Middle School of Whittier's Denis Cruz, James Monroe High School of Los Angeles' Kelly Jean Hanock and Abraham Lincoln Continuation High School of Riverside's Shelbi J. Wilson in the elite group of educators. From the distinguished group, O'Connell nominated Cruz as the state's candidate for National Teacher of the Year. All five will be feted at a Jan. 10 dinner in Sacramento.

Announcing Dyar's selection, O'Connell praised him as one who "understands the crucial link between a child's health and ability to learn. That is, when kids eat well, exercise and feel good about themselves, they will do much better academically. As a child, Dyar suffered a traumatic head injury that required several surgeries. During his recovery, he came to appreciate how teachers positively affect children's lives and that became the basis for his desire to become a teacher."

Dyar has been teaching for 15 years and in the same school he attended as a child, realizing his dream of giving back to the community. Dyar earned a Bachelor of Science in physical education from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and has a single subject teaching credential. Dyar's physical education classes cover all subject areas involving students in writing essays, reading articles and graphing growth in speed, distance and strength, along with learning to participate in life. Dyar strives to have every 8th-grader in his class graduate in better physical condition than when they entered.

Dyar and West High School health teacher Sloan Holmes were honored May 17 as Kern County's Teachers of the Year for 2004-05 by the Kern County Superintendent of Schools and represented Kern County in the California Teacher of the Year competition.

The California Teachers of the Year program began in 1972 to pay tribute to the state's educators, the growing complexity of challenges that confront California's schools and the need to promote collaboration among teachers to meet those challenges.

California continues to face a critical teacher shortage. The program plays a pivotal role in drawing new people into the field. The State Superintendent selects five people each year who will best represent California's teachers and symbolize the profession's contributions to quality education by focusing public attention on noteworthy accomplishments of teachers.

The competition is open to educators who teach pre-kindergarten through grade twelve. County offices of education nominate winners of their regional Teacher of the Year competition. A state selection committee reviews the candidates' applications and conducts site visits to evaluate the teachers' rapport with students, classroom environment, presentation skills, use of teaching methods, among other criteria. Following interviews held in Sacramento, the State Superintendent selects the awardees.


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