2006 Teacher of the Year - Region I

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Toni Bevino - Region I

Biographical Information

Toni Bevino was born in Fort Walton Beach, Florida in 1966 and has been a life-long resident of the state. After receiving a degree in anthropology, she began working as a field/lab technician for a local archaeological firm. Having always been drawn to the subject of people and coming from a family of educators, the calling to teach was inevitable.

Bevino’s classroom is designed with the idea that all students will experience an environment of respect and comfort essential to the learning process. She wants students to feel the support necessary to take risks, make mistakes and ultimately succeed. CThe responsibility of a classroom teacher is a great one and she is proud to be in a position to serve.

One a Bevino’s favorite quotes is “There is nothing more unequal than the equal treatment of unequal people.” Thomas Jefferson

Teaching Philosophy

“As a teacher, I consider myself a life-long learner. In this way, I am constantly looking through my students’ eyes and focusing on how they, and I, learn. I believe, based both on my experience and the educational research I’ve studied, that learning, like basic human development, is a mix of natural and environmental influences. That is, we learn not only from interacting with our environment, but also through understanding our individual abilities and strengths.”

“As a teacher, I also believe that it is my responsibility to integrate these internal and external factors in ways that best benefit my students. Whether this means sparking and motivating the intelligence of a student with low self-esteem or teaching learning strategies to less experienced students so they can become their own instructors, it is my hope that these students eventually see that although mastery may be the ultimate goal, progress is the measure of success.”

“In order to motivate my students to read, I allow them to select their own reading material (within the bounds of good reason and taste). With the cooperation and permission of my director, I am thus able to procure exactly what they want to read. This has proven to be a huge success because getting a student to want to read is half the battle. This is evidenced by the persistent question, “Ma’am, when are we ordering more books?” Initially, I may have been pestered by this daily question, but it has become music to my ears.”

“To accompany this new love of books, I began a library-like system that allows the students to check out books to keep in their rooms. The program staff was essential to the implementation of this system, and the education faculty is especially grateful for their effort. Not only do the youths enjoy reading at night, but they were recently allowed to check out FCAT study material in preparation for March’s exam. I believe allowing them this opportunity gave them extra confidence, which is crucial to their performance on standardized exams, especially those as important to a student’s progress as the FCAT.”

“In keeping with my goal of helping students understand and fulfill their full potential, I solicited the help of an artist friend to teach a month-long art class on weekends. The students selected for the class were children who otherwise did not have the family support that many others enjoy and rely upon. As a teacher I understand the significance and importance of a student feeling proud of an accomplishment and the motivational power of the subsequent confidence derived from that accomplishment. I believe this program further contributed to the enlightenment, self-knowledge and self-esteem of the students involved.”

“Another aspect of teaching at Gulf Coast Youth Academy that I value is my involvement in transitioning our students from the program back to the community. I very much enjoy working with the transition specialist to provide educational consultation regarding each student’s future educational goals, such as maintaining academic progress, participating in available GED programs, learning skills and preparing for jobs.”

“Good teachers dream of the ideal educational environment, and my colleagues and I constantly work on ways to improve ours. We regularly discuss this subject, and we have implemented many educational programs that have, I believe, greatly benefited our students. We arrange a bimonthly “student of the week” ceremony for which we select and reward our most outstanding students. We also have a celebration every grading period for those students who make A/B honor roll, as well as a yearly field day in cooperation with the program to vary the interaction we have with out students.”

“It is important my students know their success is my success. What’s more, I want my students to know that I respect them as individuals and that I do not consider them criminals. Their punishment is being locked up, but it is my responsibility to educate them, not judge them.”