Kindergarten teacher claims Laurel district's top honor
By Debbie Mitchell
Last year's teacher of the year for the Laurel School District told the crowd before announcing this year's honoree that teachers are very important to their young charges. "To the world you are one person, but to one person, you are the world," she said. "A teacher is a role model and mentor with the power to change the world one student at a time." After her speech at the district's end-of-year recognition banquet held May 5 at the Laurel Fire Hall, Bourne introduced the 2008 Laurel School District Teacher of the year recipient, Linda R. Rubino. Rubino, a kindergarten teacher at Paul Laurence Dunbar Elementary School, accepted her award by saying, "I am a new teacher learning a lot from my peers at Dunbar. Thank you for this opportunity and for selecting me to represent the entire district. I look forward to teaching every day. I enjoy what I do, I love my job." Described by her peers as energetic and enthusiastic, 36-year-old Rubino resides in Georgetown with her husband and two small children. In her spare time she loves to bake and spend time with her family. According to Rubino, it was hard work, determination and dedication that brought her to realize her goal, something she never lost site of. After graduating from Indian River High School in 1989, Rubino studied behavioral science at Delaware Technical and Community College while working part time for State Farm Insurance. "I lived on my own after high school and had to support myself. State Farm was supposed to be a temporary job but evolved into a full-time career with advancement. My dream of elementary education was put to the side," she said. "While the insurance career was good for me, it was not where my heart was. Education was my calling." In 1997, three years after marrying Laurel native Dean Rubino, Linda enrolled in Wilmington College. A wife and mother holding a full-time job, she attended classes in evenings and on weekends. She graduated in 2001 with a bachelor of science in elementary education. "I had to wait for a point in my life where I would not put a strain on my family or myself," she said. "This was hard on Dean, but he was very supportive." Rubino taught at the Jefferson School, a private school in Georgetown, for two years before joining the Laurel School District in 2003. She felt the move to the public system would expose her to more colleagues to learn from and the opportunity to be a part of a team. "From the moment I walked into Dunbar I felt part of the school," she said. According to Rubino, the first year was very difficult for her but it was the support of principal Jennifer Givens and her paraprofessional, Bonnie Boyce, that got her through it. "Bonnie saved me my first year," she said. "She was proactive and helped me. We share the same philosophy to help kids achieve more."
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The root of her philosophy on teaching is drawn from personal experience. "My father died when I was 13. My center was gone and I was a kid who could easily have fallen. I didn't push myself and I was fortunate to have teachers who noticed me. Teachers who pushed and encouraged me to do more and to keep moving," she said. Today, she sees children entering kindergarten at varied educational and social levels. Her goal is to help kids achieve more and her reward is seeing the growth in her students throughout the year. "You see so much growth in kindergarten, by the end of the year they have grown so much academically," she said. Dunbar teacher Angela Rieley said that Linda Rubino "lives for those ￔAh Ha!' and ￔI get it' moments." Rieley added, "She likes to see kids grow. She teaches in a fun and structured environment and keeps parents informed. Any parent would be fortunate to have her as their child's teacher." As part of her award, Rubino received money that she can spend in the classroom. "I have a lot of hand-me-downs, with this money I can buy more resources," she said. "I will get new manipulatives and center time materials for hands-on playing and learning and to educate and stimulate social activity." Rubino plans to continue teaching at the kindergarten level for a few more years but would eventually like to teach older grades. She hopes to complete her master's degree in reading at Wilmington College in 2008. Other teacher of the year nominees were Leroy M Travers Jr. (North Laurel Elementary), Susan E. Pusey (Laurel Intermediate School), Brandon M. Noelte (Laurel Middle School), and Michael W. Blaine (Laurel High School). Each candidate had to prepare a mini portfolio that included a philosophy on teaching, philosophy on the education system, resume and reference letters. A committee observed each nominee teaching a 45-minute lesson. According to Jerry White, chairman of the teacher of the year selection committee and vice president of the Laurel School Board, the committee members took notes on their observations during each session, then returned to the district office to cast secret votes. "This was a very rewarding experience for me," he said. "Every one of them was wonderful and it was very hard to select when you are looking at the very best. I was happy to be a part of it." The end-of-the-year dinner also included recognition of district employees who are retiring this year. They are: Jerry B. Smith, Dolores E. Hyland, Irene G Dodson, Diane Stetina, Carolyn G. Tyndall, Janet P. Taylor and Ronald P. Brumbley. Hyland, who is retiring after 38 years of service, said she will miss food service but will also miss the students. "I have made some good friends," she said. The district also recognized employees with five, 10, 15, 20 or more years of service. Assistant superintendent Linda J. Schenck was honored for having worked in the district for 35 years. Other honorees were: Donald L. Hitchens and Andrew J. Rogers with 20 years, Michael W. Blaine, Penny R. Dukes, Susan L. Fewell, Richard W. Gaskill, Anna P. Handy, Joanne N. Musser, Diane M. Palmer and Vivian E. Short with 15 years, Douglas W. Brown, Clarence P. Giles, Douglas W. Holden, Nicole J. Ingley, Lisa O. Marvel, Richard M. Rubino, Deborah A. Waller and Donna L. Ward with 10 years, and Teyra A. Barrow, Brian A. Cass, Michael F. Cerchio, Elbert H. Collins Jr., Jenny A. Davis, Mary Ellen Jones, Julie A. Lewis, Edwin H. Manlove, Lesley H. Miller, Donna R. O'Neal, Kristen A. Pianka, Julia A. Reader, Heather F. Ruark, Shannon V. Ruark, Kari T. Schamberger, Joyce A. Sessoms, Jeff B. Shields, Thomas Stetina, Connie L. Stevenson, Brian M. Swain, Robert D. Todd and Gina L. Voges with 5 years service.
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