AUSD Announces Teacher of the Year

From Alameda Unified School District: Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) staff announced the 2017 Teacher of the Year award at the Board of Education meeting Tuesday night: Kevin Gorham, an 18-year veteran of AUSD.

Mr. Gorham, who started his career as a radio broadcaster in San Francisco, transitioned to teaching in 1992. He spent his early years as a teacher at a middle school in East Oakland. ”Working with many marginalized students and families there,” he says, “I learned to adapt my approaches to situations based on the realities of their lives.”

Mr. Gorham began working with AUSD in 1999, when he was hired as an 6th and 8th grade core teacher at Lincoln Middle School. In 2006, he took a job as Men’s Varsity Basketball Coach and History Teacher at Encinal High School. Since then, he has worked as a teacher, assistant principal, athletic director, and basketball coach at the school. He also helped create the Junior Jets middle school program on the campus, so that the entire school now serves grades 6-12.

“Teaching is my passion, and finding new ways to engage all students is my mission,” Mr. Gorham says. “I can’t think of anything else I would want to do professionally that has given me such joy. The kids inspire me daily.”

“A Dream Come True”

Currently Mr. Gorham teaches AP Government, Economics, and Broadcast Journalism Radio I & II at what is now called Encinal Jr. & Sr. High School. Over the last several years, he also led an effort to secure funding and approval for building a state-of-the-art radio studio at the school as part of a Career Technical Education pathway in media. Students broadcast “live” from KJTZ (96.1 FM) every morning; the studios are available for Alameda Community Radio and Poor Magazine at other times.

“Since we first aired on March 6th I could not have hoped for a better start,” he says. “It has been an amazing experience after an incredible four-year journey to make this radio station a reality. But what pleases me the most is seeing kids of all types come together for the same goal, producing a great, quality show for the city of Alameda. I’ve seen so many students break out of their shells and lose their shyness in this arena. Their enthusiasm is overwhelming. To hear these young broadcaster’s on the air is a dream come true. I couldn’t be prouder of them.”

“The Perfect Balance”

Mr. Gorham takes a two-fold approach to teaching and mentoring. First, he emphasizes “student voice and perspective” in the classroom, by routinely implementing academic strategies that allow students to think critically and share perspectives on subject content, including pairing up students to discuss topics, holding “fish bowl discussions” and Socratic seminars, and organizing a Mock Congress in which students write and debate bills in an attempt to get them passed by their peers.

“As a classroom teacher, Mr. Gorham finds the perfect balance of rigor, relevance, and student-centered learning,” Dexter Moore, Jr., a former student and now associate director of programs at Head-Royce School, wrote in his recommendation letter.

“The Ability to Engage”

Equally important for this seasoned teacher is building strong relationships with students and families. Noted Moore, “I’ve seen Mr. Gorham sacrifice his family’s time and finance to help provide stability for other people’s children. I’ve accompanied him on trips to hospitals, correctional facilities, and grocery stores to ensure that his most vulnerable students were healthy, safe, and free. When students have given up, Mr. Gorham has continued fighting.” That strong connection with students has led to friendships and mentorships with students that continue long after they graduate.

Mr. Gorham has also inspired his colleagues. “Kevin’s passion, energy, and commitment to his students and profession bring out the best in all of us around him,” Peter Hill, a Lincoln Middle School teacher, wrote in a recommendation letter. “He leads by example and wants to bring as many colleagues as possible into the fold in order to raise the standard of excellence. Kevin’s arrival at LMS 17 years ago literally transformed my teaching. I saw in him the ability to engage students and create meaningful relationships. He is unmatched in this district when it comes to connecting with kids.”

Added Superintendent Sean McPhetridge, “Because of his ambitious and sincere enthusiasm for improvement to schools where he has served, Kevin has made a great different to the education and lives of young people here in Alameda. I consider him one of the most committed educators I have known, and I am grateful for his service to the Alameda community.”

Nominees for AUSD Teacher of the Year come from parents, students, staff, and the community. After being invited to submit materials (including a resume and letters of support), a selection committee observes nominees in the classroom and then interviews them. Next fall, Gorham will compete to become Alameda County Teacher of the Year.

“The Teacher of the Year award is always exciting because it showcases the high-quality teaching that goes on in AUSD classrooms day in and day out,” said Board President Gary Lym. “Mr. Gorham clearly exemplifies that, both in his success in creating new programs and his ability to connect with students and colleagues alike. He is an inspiration to us all.”

The two other finalists for the award this year were Scott Hixon, who teaches at Haight Elementary School, and Kelly (JC) Johnson, who teaches at Ruby Bridges Elementary School.

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