An 18-year veteran elementary school teacher has been named 2018 Teacher of the Year by the Los Alamitos Unified School District. District Superintendent Dr. Sherry Kropp praised Ruth Freedman-Finch as an “exceptional teacher and colleague who goes above and beyond to improve the lives of children. Her passion for young people inspires her excellent work and dedication to the teaching profession. She is truly a champion for all kids.”
An 18-year veteran elementary school teacher has been named 2018 Teacher of the Year by the Los Alamitos Unified School District. District Superintendent Dr. Sherry Kropp praised Ruth Freedman-Finch as an “exceptional teacher and colleague who goes above and beyond to improve the lives of children. Her passion for young people inspires her excellent work and dedication to the teaching profession. She is truly a champion for all kids.”
Kropp said Freedman-Finch, who graduated from UC Santa Barbara and earned a Masters degree from Wichita State University, is someone whose “quest for knowledge is infinite.”
Freedman-Finch currently teaches a grade 2/3 combination class at Weaver Elementary, where she has worked since coming to the district in 2000. She also has served as a master teacher supervising teachers in training, a fellow of the national Cotsen Foundation that promotes teaching excellence, and a professional development leader for school districts throughout the state.
Weaver Principal Robert Briggerman told the school board that Freedman-Finch is a “true leader to all the teachers on our campus.”
Briggerman said he has the “great privilege of working alongside Ruth every day, and it is a dream to walk into her classroom. She embodies the notion that rigor and joy of learning are not mutually exclusive because she guides students through such a path of discovery and inquiry that they don’t even know they are learning. And they love it.”
In tears after a standing ovation by the boardroom audience, Freedman-Finch said, “I feel fortunate to work with phenomenal people who I not only admire but who I consider family. Both my husband and I lost our parents at very young ages. I was only in my 20s when I suffered that loss. When I came to Weaver, I was embraced and I knew I was home.
“All the support they’ve given me all these years, I can’t even express. So many have had an impact on me and my teaching but also helping my children” through their years in school. Freedman-Finch has three sons, all of whom attended Weaver.
“You taught my children, so to be honored by people whom I hold in the highest esteem is really… I have no words. Thank you.”
