Kansas educator named National Teacher of the Year
Tabatha Rosproy’s nephew wished her good luck before the Winfield school district teacher hopped on a Zoom call Thursday about potentially being named the 2020 National Teacher of the Year.
Rosproy said she’s known since February that she won.
“You know, when I got the call that it was me, and I couldn’t share it with anyone, that was really hard,” Rosproy said during the roughly 22-minute video conference call with education officials and reporters. “Because I am an extroverted, joyous, optimistic person and I love ... to share happy things with people and this is one of the most incredible things that’s ever happened to me. . . . I am in this position is because of the incredible preparation that I’ve received as an educator and as a co-worker in Kansas and in Winfield.”
Rosproy is the first early childhood educator to win National Teacher of the Year, according to the Council of Chief State School Officers, which oversees the honor. Randy Watson, the commissioner of the Kansas Department of Education, said it’s been 58 years since a Kansas teacher won.
“Congratulations, we are so, so proud and honored to have you teaching in Winfield and our state,” Watson said.
Rosproy teaches in a classroom at the Cumbernauld Village retirement community in Winfield.
The “Cumbernauld Little Vikes intergenerational program serves special education and typically developing preschoolers, and offers students daily interactions with residents, who serve as ‘grandparent’ volunteers,’” according to a Kansas Education department news release.
Rosproy said that as a child she spent a lot of time in the nursing home where her mother worked.
“From that age, early on, I really developed a love and respect for the generations before me,” Rosproy said. “And what I’ve seen that they have to offer our kids is so deep. The knowledge that they have, the history that they know, the experiences that they have lived through are even important to our youngest learners.”
“They can bring all of that but they can also bring a sense of love and connection. There is no love like a grandparent’s love.”
Her students, their parents and others offered heartfelt testimonials of Rosproy during a segment on CBS This Morning, where the word love was frequently used.
“Cause she’s the best teacher in the world,” one girl said while Rosproy could be seen putting her hand over her heart.
Rosproy, who started her teaching career in 2010 in Salina, was named the 2020 Kansas Teacher of the Year before being chosen from a pool of state winners for the national honor. She was one of four finalists, including teachers from Louisiana, Ohio and Montana. The other finalists taught either middle or high school.
Her other accomplishments include being a co-chair on the Continuous Learning Task Force, which helped prepare Kansas for learning online-based learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, and being co-president of Winfield National Education Association.
Since 1952, the National Teacher of the Year has been recognized by the White House each spring, according to the Council of Chief State School Officers. As the National Teacher of the Year, Rosproy will spend a year representing educators and will serve as an ambassador for students and teachers across the nation.
“I also am just so, so excited about bringing a voice to social-emotional education, which really looks like at every level — teaching our kids to regulate their emotions, to connect with their peers and to solve problems,” Rosproy said. “And we all know that if you can solve problems, you can think critically and that will then lead to academic success and then just success in your relationships. And that’s what we want for all of our students.”
This story was originally published May 21, 2020 at 1:32 PM.