Central Road teacher wins Golden Apple Award

Robert Taylor, a second-grade teacher at Central Road School, was surprised Wednesday, May 2, when a parade of family members, friends, well-wishers, and supporters converged on his classroom to announce his selection as one of 10 Chicago-area recipients of the prestigious Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Earlier this spring, the Golden Apple Foundation, a leader in advancing the teaching profession in Illinois for more than 27 years, named Mr. Taylor one of 32 finalists for the award. He was selected from a pool of 560 nominees teaching kindergarten through third grade in the Chicago area.

In accepting the award, Mr. Taylor stressed to his students and to those there to celebrate the occasion that the award wasn’t something he sought to win. Rather, he said, it was an honor he was led to by so many of the people standing before him—his family members, friends, teaching colleagues, school and District administrators, and, of course, students.

Mr.  Taylor is District 15’s seventh winner of the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching. Past winners include David Sobel from Hunting Ridge School (2009), Kristie Charles from Hunting Ridge School (2006), Barbara Marie Figlewicz from Gray M. Sanborn School (1999), Jacquie McGrew from Winston Campus Elementary (1999), Jessie Kalinowski from Lincoln School (1997), and Susan Moody Maciag from Stuart R. Paddock School (1997).

Mr. Taylor has taught in District 15 since 1997. He became a National Board Certified Teacher in 2003, and is currently renewing that certification. He holds bachelor’s degrees in elementary education and psychology from Illinois Benedictine University, and master’s degrees in curriculum and instruction from North Central College and developmental psychology from Illinois State University.

Mr. Taylor’s wife, Marcy, is a sixth-grade teacher at Hunting Ridge School in District 15. She and their nearly 3-year-old son, Jack, were on hand for the celebration. Following the formal presentation, Central Road aired on its closed-circuit television network a short video shot by Marcy in which young Jack announces to the entire school that his father has won the award.

Later, Mr. Taylor’s excited students created congratulatory signs for their teacher, waving them as they marched around the classroom, hugging their award-winning teacher as local news media snapped photos.

The surprise award celebration was only the beginning of the Golden Apple excitement for Mr. Taylor. Each Golden Apple Award recipient receives a tuition-free, six-month sabbatical to study at Northwestern University, as well as a $3,000 cash award. Perhaps most importantly, Golden Apple teachers become Fellows of the Golden Apple Academy of Educators, providing a stronger voice and a larger stage from which to make an impact through ongoing professional development and engagement in education reform, such as the mentoring of future teachers through Golden Apple’s Scholars program.

Additionally, the recipients of the 2012 Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Teaching will be honored at a black-tie event on October 12 at WTTW/Channel 11 Studios in Chicago. WTTW will also broadcast the awards in a one-hour television program following the event.

-Story Submitted by Community Consolidated School District 15