Thomasine Stewart doesn
’t live in Morgan Hill, she only teaches here, but that didn’t
stop the Chamber of Commerce from naming her the educator of the
year.
Thomasine Stewart doesn’t live in Morgan Hill, she only teaches here, but that didn’t stop the Chamber of Commerce from naming her the educator of the year.
“She is a role model for all of us,” said Mary Jane Grover, a math teacher at Live Oak. “She is a selfless individual who puts the needs of the students before her own. She’s my hero. That is who I want to be when I grow up.”
She was asked to submit her résumé, something Stewart says is common enough that it didn’t arouse her suspicion. She was asked to meet with Live Oak Principal Nancy Serigstad, and when she walked into the room, she was met with a surprise.
“I walked in, there’s flowers, I’m confused, my husband is there,” Stewart said with a laugh. “I looked at my husband and said, what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”
For Serigstad, the decision to nominate Stewart came easy, even though she acknowledges there are many qualified teachers at Live Oak.
“She was easy to pick,” Serigstad said. “There were a lot of teachers I could have chosen. She is a fabulous classroom teacher. She really nurtures and students gives them the confidence to succeed.”
Stewart, who lives in Gilroy, has taught math in the Morgan Hill School district for six years at both Martin Murphy Middle School and, now, Live Oak. Before Morgan Hill, she worked in Ann Arbor, Mich., teaching high school, middle school and preschool.
Although she is excited, Stewart says she is not completely comfortable accepting the honor when there are others who work just as hard.
“I know there are teachers here everyday who put in a tremendous amount of hours and no body is totaling them up,” Stewart said. “I have known people who have clubs and do as much as I do.”
Since Stewart lives in Gilroy, community involvement is the only way to be a part of the community, she said. Working on committees and several grant proposals is her way to help.
“I don’t know if I even deserve it, this is just what I do,” Stewart said. “So I have problems with this because I don’t want to take away from anybody else on this campus or in this field because they do tremendous work.”
But despite it all, Stewart says she that she is still very honored to receive the award.
“It’s just the passion you have and you really gather your energy in different ways you don’t find it energy-draining, if anything it energizes you. It’s just the push you want to do all these things.”
Stewart attributes her love for keeping busy from her father who said keeping busy kept a person out of trouble.
“I kind of think it’s all his fault,” Stewart said. “He would sit us down: what is your plan, what instrument are you playing, have you joined any clubs, what are we doing in school.”
At the end of the year, teachers traditionally take a look at their methods and examine what worked and what didn’t.
“Every year I sit back and try to see what’s going on,” Stewart said. “That’s what teachers do. Every year at the end of the year, the discussion is usually what can I do next year.”
EDUCATION
After a couple of years of studying to become a doctor, Stewart began to re-evaluate her career choice and found that her passion lay in teaching.
“I had a very good mentor who said ‘you need to sit down and evaluate to see what kinds of things excite you, what kinds of things you are drawn to’,” Stewart said. “It was so clear that is what I needed to do.”
Following the meeting, she noticed that she was always critiquing teachers and drawn to those who could clearly explain difficult topics, but deciding to become a teacher meant giving up some things.
“I had to come to grips of understanding that being in the teaching field there are a couple of negatives to it,” Stewart said. “One you will never be rich, and I was okay with that. The other is you are always seen as a public figure and there is a higher code of ethics with that.”
Learning is something that Stewart has never stopped doing. After graduating from the University of Michigan, she went on to receive two masters from both Michigan and San Jose State University.
“You must always update and always be reflective about your practice,” Stewart said.
THE STUDENTS
Students find that Stewart’s teaching style fits them and allows for easy learning in the classroom.
“She’s an awesome teacher,” said sophomore Justin Venneman.
“Mrs. Stewart is a great person. Her class is a lot of fun and I’ve learned a lot from her.”
Student feed back is something that Stewart loves and always tries to keep students on track as she can.
“I am really involved with the kids and I enjoy being with the kids.” Stewart said. “If anything, it’s a little selfish. At the end of the year I come a way knowing that I learned something just as much as my kids have.”
Paul Bergkamp, a junior at Live Oak, is tutored by Stewart. He says math is easier when she explains it.
“She explains the material in ways that I can understand,” Bergkamp said. “She is more down to earth. She explains things instead of reading right out of the book.”
When she moved from Murphy to Live Oak, some students Stewart came along with her.
Having students more than once made teaching easier for those who were new because drawing on the experience of the previous students, the adjustment to her teaching style was easier. By seeing students for multiple years, it allowed her to keep up with students outside her class.
One student Stewart had at Murphy and all through Live Oak couldn’t pass the math competency test. He tried each year to pass the test, right up through senior year.
“If I don’t get you to pass this year, I’m giving up. I’m not going to teach any more; we are going to do this, this year,” she told him.
In his junior year, he came close to passing, but came up short and considered giving up. Three friends had all dropped out of school. But Stewart refused to let him give up.
Finally in his senior year, he passed the test, to the delight of everyone.
“That was a high moment in my career,” Stewart said.
