Sahuarita teacher among state's best

In Barbara Tingle’s colorful kindergarten classroom at Sahuarita Primary School, the decor includes signs declaring “Outstanding,” “Spectacular,” “Incredible” and more.

These descriptions of her 5-year-old pupils also apply to Tingle herself, who is among the five finalists for Arizona Teacher of the Year. As such, she has been selected as an Ambassador for Excellence in the state’s Teacher of the Year program.

“I’m very honored and very excited,” said Tingle, who will find out whether she is the state’s 2010 Teacher of the Year at a Thursday luncheon in Scottsdale.

Earlier this year, Tingle was recognized as SPS Teacher of the Year as part of the Sahuarita Unified School District’s teacher recognition program, in partnership with Freeport-McMoRan Copper and Gold.

To compete on the state level, Tingle completed a comprehensive application that covered her professional background, experience, community involvement and insight on current educational issues, followed by a rigorous, formal interview with more than a dozen corporate executives and distinguished educators. She also had to make and submit a DVD of herself teaching her 25 pupils.

Tingle, 43 and a mother of two, has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Arizona and a master’s in early childhood education from Northern Arizona University. She is in her ninth year teaching kindergarten at SPS, has taught in the SPS summer enrichment program and served as LINK day-care director for the school district.

She also is a board member for Ballet Continental and Shepherd’s Fold Day Care in Green Valley and has taught Sunday school at Green Valley Baptist Church for 20 years. She and her husband, Burton, a longtime high school math teacher, reside in Sahuarita Heights.

Tingle’s 13-page Arizona Teacher of the Year application included her teaching philosophy, with the theme that proper education of a child must meet his or her academic, physical and emotional needs. Youngsters come to school to learn, but also need to feel safe, comfortable and wanted or they won’t be open to the academics, Tingle says.

In addition, “5-year-olds need to move and to be busy. I try to allow for that” by keeping them seated and focused on a lesson for no longer than 15 minutes at a time, she notes.

Tingle also works to be patient and accepting as the youngsters learn new physical skills, like holding a pencil correctly and moving their chairs around the classroom.

In the interview, she was asked such questions as what has been the most valuable lesson she’d learned from a difficult student. “Compassion,” Tingle says, and that everyone deserves to go home at the end of the school day with their dignity intact.

She points out that to become a top five finalist, she received invaluable help over the years from her principals, fellow teachers and SUSD administrators. Plus, she adds, the district has a great professional development program.

According to SUSD Assistant Superintendent Manny Valenzuela, “Mrs. Tingle represents the professional skill, dedication and student-centered values that make her an incredible representative of our organization and the teaching profession. We share with her and her family in this special and well-deserved recognition.”

If Tingle is named 2010 Teacher of the Year, she will go on to the national competition. If not, she will be an Ambassador for Excellence for a year, speaking to a variety of business and service organizations on behalf of the education community and making presentations at conferences.

“I like to talk about education,” Tingle notes, and is happy she’ll receive training in public speaking, too.

Her selection as an Ambassador for Excellence also include a $5,000 cash prize, a laptop computer, participation in the Fiesta Bowl Parade on the Wells Fargo stagecoach, and attending an athletic event in the Wells Fargo suite at US Airways Arena.