By Mike Finney

DOVER — Jahsha Tabron knew the odds were steep for her to walk out of the Dover High School auditorium as the 2022 Delaware Teacher of the Year.

After all, the Brandywine High School special education teacher is one of around 10,000 educators in school districts throughout the state and was among 20 finalists that attended Monday night’s ceremony.

So, when Ms. Tabron heard Gov. John Carney announce her name as the 2022 Teacher of the Year, she was overcome with emotion and teardrops.

“Being selected by your school district for all of the nominees tonight was one thing, but then you hear people say 10,000 teachers and it’s like, ‘OK, yeah, you did a great job,’ so I first want to say, ‘Thank you’ to all of the nominees,” Ms. Tabron said. “I’d like to thank my students for the daily life lessons, and I hope that we continue to learn together so we can navigate this ever-changing world.

“I thank my family, and especially to my mother and my sisters for always pushing the importance of education and how education breaks down all barriers. I learned early on that your heart and your brain can never be too full and love and learning have no limits.”

Ms. Tabron serves as a co-teacher at Brandywine High School and teaches in grades nine through 12 English classes. Her primary focus is ninth-grade special education students who are transitioning into the high school setting.

Ms. Tabron received a $5,000 grant to use for the educational benefit of her students, as well as a personal grant of $3,000. All of the nominees received a $2,000 grant from the state.

Ms. Tabron and the other 19 Teacher of the Year nominees were scheduled to be escorted to the award ceremony in collector cars, however, that part of the celebration was canceled due to the weather.

That was no problem for the teachers, who have all been forced to show the ability to adapt through the COVID-19 pandemic for the past year-and-a-half, teaching virtually for most of last year and returning to live instruction this fall.

The words “Thank you,” were predominant at the ceremony, as speakers from Sen. Tom Carper, Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, Gov. Carney, Lt. Gov. Bethany-Hall Long, among other dignitaries, thanked not only the teachers for their service and dedication, but also Susan Bunting, the Delaware retiring Secretary of Education.

“It’s a special honor for me to be a part of this incredible evening after a year when we couldn’t get together, it’s particularly special to be here with our 20 nominees,” Secretary Bunting said.

Ms. Bunting gave a special shout out in her opening remarks to Appoquinimink School District Teacher of the Year Amanda Binkley, who was watching online from home Monday night while quarantined with COVID-19 symptoms.

Gov. Carney was quick to point out all of those kinds of challenges that the state’s teachers have endured for the past two years.

The governor recalled about how during pre-coronavirus days, he would invite the Teachers of the Year to Woodburn, the governor’s mansion in Dover, to get some insight as to their experiences in their schools.

“There are two things that really stuck out for me,” said Gov. Carney. “We did something that I called ‘Worst day, Best day,’ and to hear the worst-day (stories) would bring tears to your eyes. And then to hear the best days of course would lift you up and make you believe that the future is bright for all of us.

“We’ve heard not only about loss, we’ve (also) heard about children who came to school unprepared or not as prepared as they were in past years, and we heard of all the challenges.”

The governor added, “At the same time, we saw and heard the great enthusiasm of each of those teachers and it made me feel so optimistic about the present and future of our state because we know that our success as a state is dependent of the success of every single student.”

Ms. Tabron agreed with the governor. She said the most important thing an educator can teach a student is the power of self-advocacy.

She believes that success lies in self-reflection and is always willing to re-examine her work and the impact it has on her students.

“I thank my students most of all for trusting me and having the ability to step up and take learning risks despite the ever-present feeling of doubt,” said Ms. Tabron, who now becomes Delaware’s nominee in the national program. “Teachers feel those doubts as well but together we keep pushing ahead towards our purpose.

“Let us all never forget and get so wrapped up in who we think we are that we forget to become who we can be.”