La Plata, MD- Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is accepting nominations for the Washington Post and Maryland Teacher of the Year awards programs. Nominated teachers will be considered as honorees in either one or the other awards program, which is a change for CCPS this year. Additionally, all schools and centers must submit one teacher nominee annually.

Nomination criteria include a minimum of five complete years of teaching, four of which should be consecutive years with CCPS. Teachers must be a full-time classroom teacher. Nominees must also commit to maintaining their teaching position with CCPS for the 2019-2020 school year.

Criteria also include demonstration by the teacher of the following:

  • Instills in students a desire to learn and achieve;
  • Understands the individual needs of students, encourages their talents and fosters their self-esteem;
  • Demonstrates a thorough knowledge of subject matter and the ability to share it effectively with students;
  • Fosters cooperative relationships with their colleagues and the community; and
  • Demonstrates outstanding leadership.

Nominations are submitted by school principals to CCPS staff who oversee the awards programs. Submission suggestions can be made by teachers, students or community members. Anyone interested in suggesting a teacher for nomination should contact the school in which the teacher works. Nominees who have received either the Post teacher finalist award or were named Charles County Teacher of the Year in the past three years are not eligible.

One CCPS teacher will be selected from the pool of nominees by a committee of school system staff to represent Charles County as the Charles County Teacher of the Year and finalist for the Maryland Teacher of the Year award. The Charles County Teacher of the Year announcement will be made by CCPS in spring 2019.

One CCPS teacher will also be selected from among the nominee pool as Charles County’s finalist for the Washington Post Teacher of the Year award. The Post names one finalist from districts in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia as its Teacher of the Year. The Post will announce its overall winner in April 2019.

Additional information about the nomination process is posted on the MyCCPS staff section of the school website at https://www.ccboe.com/myccps/. Nominations are due Dec. 7. Contact Ramona DiBenedetto at 301-934-7242 or rdibenedetto@ccboe.com for more details.