Teacher Receives L.A. County Honor

Linda Okumura, a first grade teacher at Pacific Elementary in Manhattan Beach, was honored as one of the "best of the best" educators in K-12 schools by the Los Angeles County Office of Education at a ceremony today. She joins nine women and six men who also received the L.A. County Teacher of the Year award.

All 16 educators are now eligible to be named "California Teacher of the Year." Five nominees for that distinction will be named in November. One of the five will then move on to the national competition in spring.

"These hard-working teachers have been judged by their colleagues as exemplifying the very best of this wonderful profession," said county Superintendent of Schools Arturo Delgado. "Every day in the classroom, they make the most of a precious opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of their students."

The 16 winners were selected from a pool of 69 teachers. They were interviewed and asked to submit essays and lesson plans to a panel of peers who served as judges. There are about 75,000 public school educators in L.A. County.

In June, Okumura was named the Manhattan Beach Unified School District's Teacher of the Year, which qualified her for today's honor. She has been a teacher for 29 years.

"I have been fortunate to observe many talented teachers," said former Pacific Elementary Principal Debbie Mabry, who is now principal at Pennekamp, "however, none has matched the standard of excellence set forth by Linda Okumura. During my four-year principalship at Pacific, I witnessed firsthand the instructional expertise of Linda. Mrs. Okumura inspires students and colleagues alike to set high expectations, work purposefully, and engage and explore topics of personal relevance. 

"There truly is magic in Mrs. Okumura’s classroom, the magic of a gifted teacher who has a passion for instilling her love of learning in her students," said Mabry. "She is a model of teacher excellence and her LACOE recognition was well-deserved."

City News Service contributed to this report.