What type of educator meets the criteria for the Teacher of the Year award? A teacher who sets high expectations with clear objectives for his students? Someone who has mastered their curriculum and subject matter? Someone who communicates well with his students and parents? Someone who is passionate about their subject and works to impart that passion onto his students? Someone who believes in their students and inspires them to be better than they think they can be? If the Teacher of the Year must possess some of these traits, then the Teacher of the Year is Roberto Iriarte because he possesses them all.
My daughter Grace has had Mr. Iriarte as her Music Director in Orchestra and Jazz band, her conductor in Pit Orchestra, and he has been her mentor…show more content… Under Mr. Irarte’s tutelage, Grace has found her two passions in life. Grace loves both music and teaching music. She decided as a junior that she wanted to major in Music Education in college. Mr. Iratrte worked with Grace through the Peer Collaboration program to expose her to what it felt like to be a teacher. He taught her classroom management skills, effective methods for technique instruction, and how to teach to an individual as well as a class of musicians. She was able to observe his effective disciplinary style, his interaction with parents, and how he adjusts his teaching style based on the group he is teaching. She understands that as a music director, your commitment goes beyond the classroom. But Mr. Iriarte has set the bar tremendously high. He has proven this through his many hours spent over the summer selecting the right music scores for the upcoming class, the countless afterschool hours working with Jazz I sometimes traveling around the state for clinics and competitions, and the late nights every spring for Pit Orchestra. These are the efforts he puts forth
