There is a moment during Orange County Teachers of the Year surprise visits that I wish everyone could experience.
A classroom door opens. Students look up. Colleagues gather. Family members appear unexpectedly. Then comes the announcement that someone who has made a difference in their lives has been named among the county’s top educators.
For the next 15 minutes, the lesson plan pauses and something just as important begins: Gratitude. Elation. Recognition.
Students cheer. Some teachers cry. Entire school communities erupt in applause because the world is finally seeing what they have seen all along — not one great lesson or a successful year, but years of lifting others.
That is why this is one of the best days of the year.
Last month, I had the privilege of surprising six extraordinary educators selected as the 2027 Orange County Teachers of the Year. From kindergarten classrooms to college lecture halls, from adapted physical education to theater arts, these educators represent the very best of our profession.
These are teachers like Ryan Healy of Marco Forster Middle School, whose students broke into song after learning their teacher had been honored.
They are teachers like Megan Avalos of Rossmoor Elementary, whose impact reaches far beyond the classroom and whose former students still return to celebrate her.
They are teachers like Kathryn Cerasuolo of Hope School, who helps students with disabilities see possibility instead of limitation.
They are teachers like Wendy Saldivar of Loara Elementary, who helps students see bilingualism as a strength and opportunity as something within reach.
They are teachers like Brittany Walters of Dr. Peter Marshall Elementary, who creates classrooms where students feel seen, safe and ready to learn.
And they are teachers like Dr. Katherine Green of Golden West College, who reminds students that success in even the most difficult subjects comes through practice, perseverance and belief in themselves.
In Orange County, approximately 22,000 educators serve our students. These six honorees stand in for thousands more whose work changes lives every day. They open doors, restore confidence, nurture gifts and help young people imagine futures they may not yet see for themselves.
Every adult can name a teacher who changed the trajectory of their life. (I certainly can.) That is why recognition matters. It reminds us that teaching is not transactional work. It is transformational work.
I’m also deeply grateful to SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union for serving as the premier sponsor of this program, and to the Orange County Teachers of the Year Award Foundation established by the William, Jeff and Jennifer Gross Family Foundation for helping honor these educators in such a meaningful way. Their generosity — including a $25,000 award for each honoree — sends an important message: Great teaching deserves to be celebrated.
In November, these six educators will be formally recognized at a special gala at the Disneyland Hotel. But in truth, their greatest awards have already been earned.
They are found in the student who gains confidence. In the child who discovers a voice. In the graduate who returns years later to say thank you.
Our teachers lift others every single day. And on this special day, our caravan of well-wishers had the joy of lifting them.
It’s a moment I wish everyone could experience.