A Special Visit For Contra Costa Community College District's Teacher Of The Year

PLEASANT HILL, CA - From Contra Costa County Office of Education: On Monday, Aug. 28, Contra Costa County Office of Education (CCCOE) Superintendent of Schools Karen Sakata visited the classroom of John Freytag, Ph.D., at Diablo Valley College, in Pleasant Hill. Dr. Freytag, has been teaching college courses in oceanography and marine biology for 20 years, and has been an instructor at Diablo Valley College for the past 12 years.

James Hoffmann, professor of biological science at Diablo Valley College, says, “There is no individual on campus who has a greater positive effect on the college overall than Dr. John Freytag. He is a strong student advocate who exemplifies and stresses the ideals of equity, excellence, student learning, and inclusion. Dr. Freytag is a tremendous influence in the classroom. He is positive and compassionate, yet at the same time compels students to fulfill their promise. He has the uncanny ability to get students to work hard in his courses, and yet at the same time enjoy them.”

Hoffmann continues, “Student evaluations of Dr. Freytag often include terms like ‘inspirational,’ ‘caring,’ and ‘respected.’ At the same time, he functions as our department chair and is on the division council. In addition, he serves as the vice president of our Academic Senate. In these positions, he is able to continue to make positive contributions to the college by providing leadership and helping direct the department, division, and college on the proper path.”

On the evening of September 28, 2017, the 22 Contra Costa County TOYs, class of 2017-18, including Dr. Freytag, will be introduced and honored at the annual Teacher of the Year Dinner Celebration, held at the Concord Hilton. The 22 TOYs will be accompanied by their families, friends, and co-workers. The expected crowd of close to 500 will also include numerous other supporters of the program. For more information about this year’s CCCOE TOY Program, please review this earlier-sent news release.

Throughout the school year, Superintendent Sakata makes it a point to visit each incoming TOY in their classrooms, prior to the Dinner Celebration. This is a great way for her to meet the teachers and their students, as well as take in the day’s lesson plan. When individually introducing the TOYs at the Dinner Celebration, Sakata will tell the audience about her visit and will quote one or two of the students’ remarks about their revered teacher.

Currently, there are approximately 8,400 teachers educating more than 176,000 students in Contra Costa County’s public schools. To recognize their efforts and bring much-deserved honor to the teaching profession, the participating school districts in the county named their TOY representatives in mid March. The incoming 22 TOYs represent 17 Contra Costa County school districts, the Contra Costa Community College District, and the Contra Costa County Office of Education (CCCOE). Most of these representatives, those who teach grades K thru 12, are eligible to compete in the Contra Costa County TOY competition. The two top teachers in the county TOY program will represent Contra Costa County in the California State TOY Program this coming fall.

Note regarding eligible participants: Seventeen of the eighteen Contra Costa County school districts represented, and the CCCOE are participating in this year’s TOY program.

Each year, one instructor from Contra Costa Community College District is submitted to the TOY program for his/her outstanding body of work with their designated college. The colleges rotate each year between Diablo Valley, Los Medanos, and Contra Costa. (These instructors do not compete in the State Teacher of the Year competition.) This year is Diablo Valley College’s turn. Due to the larger number of students and teachers in their districts, West Contra Costa USD, Mt. Diablo USD, and San Ramon Valley USD are allowed to submit two TOY candidates.

Follow Contra Costa County’s Teacher of the Year program on Twitter: #cocotoy

Image via Contra Costa County Office of Education/Photo credit: Terry Koehne, CCCOE