Brevard's 2024 Teacher of the Year will be named Thursday: These are the finalists

Brevard County will honor more than 250 teachers, volunteers, staff and administrators in the public school system this week at the annual "Applauding Brevard's Champions Award Gala."

The Brevard Schools Foundation event, on Thursday at the Radisson Resort in Cape Canaveral, will recognize 94 Teacher of the Year honorees, as well as 38 first year or "rookie" teachers, 30 second year or "emerging" teachers, 23 youth volunteers, 51 adult volunteers and 28 senior volunteers.

While 94 Teacher of the Year honorees will be recognized, only one will be named Brevard's Teacher of the Year and go on to represent the school district in the Florida Teacher of the Year program. There are six finalists.

Terri Bagby, before and after school coordinator at Quest Elementary School, was named Employee of the Year at a November 2023 ceremony. Bagby will be recognized along with the administrator and assistant administrator of the year.

Pam Brockmeyer, a math teacher at Cocoa High, was named Teacher of the Year in 2023.

Meeet Teacher of the Year finalists

Jeff Draves, AP World History and AP Capstone Seminar teacher at Viera High School. He's been a teacher in Brevard County for 21 years.

Colleen Rockstraw, director of guidance at Southwest Middle School. Rockstraw is the school counselor for students in grades 7 and 8, as well as students in the gifted and advanced placement program.

Ashley Varela, sixth grade math and science teacher at Endeavor Elementary Magnet School. This is her 12th year teaching.

Michelle Noble, culinary arts instructor at Titusville High School. Noble's course is one of the school's Career and Technical Education offerings, and she has been teaching high school for six years.

Deborah Price, sixth grade English Language Arts teacher at Riviera Elementary School. This is Price's 25th year of teaching in Brevard County.

Alicia Street, content specialist with Brevard's Specific Learning Disabilities program.

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Best parts of your job?

Draves: "My favorite part about this profession is seeing students become who they are going to be. I have the rare opportunity to see these students grow from freshmen to seniors and the transition from big kid to young adult is an awesome one to witness. It is such a precarious transformation, and to be a small part of that maturation is one of the most rewarding aspects of what I do."

Rockstraw: "The most enjoyable part about being a school counselor is watching students succeed in school, especially for the student who has not been historically successful. I love being able to prepare students for academic, career and social challenges and connecting their academic success with the potential success for their future."

Varela: "(My favorite part is) making a difference in my students' lives by believing in them and helping to show them they have have what it takes to be a successful learner."

Noble: "(My favorite part is) feeling like I am doing exactly what I am meant to be doing, in the right place with the right people. Genuinely enjoying my work."

Price: "My favorite part of teaching is that I get to spend my days teaching students the joy of reading! I love the moments when students are able to comprehend what they are reading. The students are so excited and proud. It builds the students' confidence, and that confidence spreads to other areas of learning."

Street: "Every day is unique, and I thoroughly enjoy spending time in classrooms, working closely with students and supporting educators. It brings me great satisfaction to be able to share my knowledge and experiences, and to help solve any challenges that may arise. What I particularly enjoy about my job is the opportunity to support students with disabilities, allowing me to share my passion and make a positive impact in their lives."

Biggest challenge?

Draves: "The biggest challenge in teaching is taking all of the information that gets blasted at them and funneling it down into a manageable laser beam of information they need to be productive in our country. This generation has access to more information than any generation before it. It can be overwhelming for adults, much less for emerging adults. Trying to teach them what is noise and what is wisdom is a tricky part of the profession that is getting more and more challenging."

Rockstraw: "My biggest challenge, as a school counselor, is the challenge of motivating and assisting student engagement in academics. Student engagement and motivation is probably the biggest challenge across this country. Not necessarily for all students, but for many. My goal is to help students understand their own motivation and motivational patterns, foster their intrinsic interests, create a vision of their possible futures, and to see by what means their current choices and behavior correlate with their long-term vision. I must help them understand the importance of believing in their own abilities in conjunction to achievement and success. Students who are able to do these things are much more likely to achieve and succeed, than those students who cannot."

Noble: "(The biggest challenge is) communicating about food cost and expenses as many of the students don’t have this experience yet."

Varela: "Working at a Title 1 school, I am faced with daily challenges. My students experience many hardships. In my classroom it’s my job to help make them feel safe to a point where they want to and can learn."

Price: The biggest challenge with teaching right now is that we are facing a shortage of teachers. This leads to larger class sizes and places a strain on our current teachers. The Christa McAuliffe Ambassador for Education’s primary responsibility is to encourage more people to become teachers. This job is vital to our entire state because the current teacher shortage is becoming not just a state problem but a national problem as well."

Street: "As an ESE (Exceptional Student Education) Content Specialist, the high number of ESE vacancies in this field means there is always an overwhelming amount of work to be done. This makes it difficult for me to provide the level of support that I would like to offer. While I have numerous goals I strive to achieve, the limitation of time often poses a significant hurdle for me."

Advice for others, or a lesson you've learned?

Draves: "The best piece of advice I have for new educators is to always err on the side of students. There are professional dilemmas in every job. When faced with a dilemma, ask yourself what is best for the student, and the answer of what should be done becomes clear.  Always keep in mind, that this calling that you answered is the most important one for our future as a school, community, and country. If you err on the side of supporting students, you will always be on the right side of history."

Rockstraw: "As a school counselor, my body language, my eye contact and my attention speak louder than words. Sometimes, student problems or challenges do not require my thoughts, my opinions or my reflections; students just need to be heard, valued and be given breathing room."

Varela: "My advice to new teachers would be to always be open to changing your perspective when dealing with your students. Every child has a different story and what we say, do and how we act toward them can change their lives forever. Our words become their inner voice."

Noble: "Find a way to connect to your students and build rapport. My advice would be don’t be afraid to ask for help!"

Price: "I would give three pieces of advice to new teachers. First, new teachers must believe that every child can learn and achieve. Our students need to know that we believe that they can learn the curriculum, no matter how difficult it is. Secondly, I think that all new teachers should ask to observe other teachers at their school. This will help them continue to develop their own teaching style. Finally, all new teachers need a mentor as they are developing and growing their teaching skills. Brevard County has an amazing mentor/mentee program where new teachers and veteran teachers learn from each other. By doing these three things, new teachers will remember why they wanted to become teachers in the first place, and they will have the skills and support needed to remain and continue teaching for many years."

Street: "It is absolutely acceptable to prioritize self-care. It is crucial to acknowledge and celebrate your achievements rather than solely focusing on the negatives. Although there might be a constant feeling of needing to do more, it's important to recognize that even small successes are significant. Additionally, it's advisable not to respond to emails when feeling angry. Sometimes, it is beneficial to revisit an email draft once the heat of the moment has (passed)."

Finch Walker is the education reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Walker at fwalker@floridatoday.com. X: @_finchwalker.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Meet Brevard's 2024 Teacher of the Year award finalists