Love for teaching first graders obvious from Phoenix Spanish immersion teacher
Silver Apple is sponsored by Arizona Bank & Trust
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Sandra Hostetter is a first grade teacher who says she stopped keeping track of the number of years she has been in a classroom once she hit year 25.
When we visited her to present her with a Silver Apple Award, Ms. Hostetter was in the middle of storytime, with all her students sitting on the carpet. Their love for their teacher was immediately evident when they broke out into a spontaneous group hug over their teacher’s special honor.
“I love the children. It’s my joy and passion to be teaching them, to be here,” explained Ms. Hostetter as she fought back tears. “I know what is appropriate for them. I know how they learn, I know who they are; and I know how to teach them ... I love the children.”
Ms. Hostetter told us she works hard to set up lesson plans that allow each child in her classroom to grow at their own pace and their individual level.
However, Ms. Hostetter teaches so much more than reading, writing and arithmetic. Sandpiper Elementary School in North Phoenix is a Spanish immersion school, so Ms. Hostetter also teaches her first graders a foreign language.
Sylvie Martin and her mother nominated Ms. Hostetter for the Silver Apple Award, which means her teacher also received a big check.
“On behalf of Arizona Bank & Trust, we would like to award you $1,000 for you to use — just on you,” said Patrisha Gonzales from Arizona Bank & Trust as she presented the award to Ms. Hostetter. “We really appreciate what you do for the community and your students and we’re just so happy to award you with this.”
Ms. Hostetter says they teach all the kids the “STARS” concept. It’s an acronym that stands for “Safe, Trustworthy, Accountable, Respectful and Supportive.” She says once that environment is established, it creates a safe place for all the kids to learn.
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