'Whole teacher': Family's first college graduate named 2024 Duval County teacher of the year
A biology teacher at Terry Parker High School has been named the 2024 VyStar Teacher of the Year for Duval County Public Schools.
Gustavo Guzman was chosen Saturday night from 180 top teachers representing each school in the county at the 33rd annual EDDY Awards, the nonprofit Jacksonville Public Education Fund’s celebration of great educators.
He’ll represent the school district in a competition to be named Florida Teacher of the Year.
“Mr. Guzman has that ‘it’ factor that makes students really love to come to his class and learn about science,” Duval County Superintendent Dana Kriznar said in a release from JPEF.
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Guzman is a third-year teacher who graduated Edward Waters University, the first member of his family to earn a college degree.
Raised in Belle Glade as the child of farm laborers, he credited teachers and mentors he had in high school with encouraging him to pursue education, the release said. He repeated their example at Terry Parker, where he is site director for the youth-guidance nonprofit 5000 Role Models of Excellence.
“I love to empower students with positive affirmations based on character development, academic growth, and athletic accomplishments,” Guzman wrote in his teacher of the year application, according to JPEF.
Guzman said he makes “an enormous effort to meet my students where they are and work diligently to develop a plan to get them to their next level.”
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He implemented classroom systems and instruction that last year raised one class’s test scores by more than 22 percent, JPEF’s release said.
Guzman said he wanted to emphasize the value of being “the whole teacher” for students.
“Teachers must personify positive living, lifelong learning, and willingness to empathize; accepting and helping all people that we encounter,” he said. “It takes diverse teachers, willing to meet students where they are then push them further than they could see for themselves. When students see themselves in their daily leaders, an influx of positive change can occur.”
Guzman will receive a cash prize and a classroom grant through the Deerwood Rotary Club and Florida Blue. Like previous teachers of the year, he’ll also be an ex-officio JPEF board member.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Terry Parker High's Gustavo Guzman is Duval County teacher of the year
