At the end of the school year, AGHS faculty vote on the Teacher of the Year. The winner of this award is a teacher who has gone above and beyond throughout the school year. This year’s Teacher of the Year is Special Education teacher Phillip Reid.
“Winning teacher of the year was a big surprise,” Reid said.
AGHS has a diverse range of educators and staff, and in total there are 147 faculty members and 97 teachers. Therefore, due to the great quantity of teachers, winning Teacher of the Year is a rare privilege.
“It’s truly an honor to be selected by your peers.” Reid said.
As a Special Education teacher, he works closely with both students and paraprofessional educators—additional teachers and supports for the students.
“I feel so lucky I’ve been on team Reid since I started working here,” paraprofessional Michelle Benson said. “I’m grateful to be able to be in his classroom and support him and his students. It’s part of why I love my job so much.”
The teachers who are recognized as Teacher of the Year stand out due to their actions, either for the school, the students, or the staff. This year, Reid organized the Unified Track Meet for special education students across four different schools.
“I think putting together a Unified Track Meet this year in March was a big achievement,” Reid said. “We expanded it from two to four teams. Last year it was just us and Nipomo, and this year, there were four different schools.”
Events such as the Unified Track Meet are important to Reid because it combines competition with friendship, and bring together all different kinds of people from various schools. This event is a reflection of a teacher who puts in the extra effort for their students’ high school experience.
“His strengths are his passion for teaching and inclusion,” Benson said. “He wants all students to participate inside and outside the classroom.”
Reid’s job requires different skills that other teachers on campus don’t necessarily need in able to teach their selected subject. He has different responsibilities for each student, but, despite that, Reid still teaches at an outstanding level to all his students.
“It’s a diverse group of students, and they all have individual plans and individual needs,” Reid said. “But, it’s also a great group to work with.”
Other teachers understand and acknowledge the work Reid puts into his job. For a large school of nearly 2,000 students, having a trusted teacher is important for students.
“I like being that safe person for a lot of the students and someone that they can trust and they can go to if they need help,” Reid said.
Reid possesses the many positive attributes the Teacher of the Year should have, and this award granted him with the recognition of those good qualities he holds. Reid is a positive role model for students and staff, and, with this award, he now carries the legacy of Teacher of the Year.
