TEACHER OF THE YEAR A

EDUCATION

Teacher of the Year

GARY PEASE EARNS THE SJCOE HONOR

BY NORA HESTON TARTE

Gary Pease is a family man. He’s kid-oriented and he has a knack for shaping young minds. It comes as no surprise that he landed in the profession after helping out in his son’s third grade classroom, and his son’s teacher encouraged him to pursue teaching. “That summer I switched gears, changed majors, and here I am today. I have taught for 21 years here at Jefferson [Elementary School] and nine years at other schools,” Gary says.

Not only did the change in careers—Gary originally pursued a degree in computer science—suit his natural abilities, it also gave Gary something else that was really important, the freedom and flexible schedule to coach and watch his kids play sports.

At home, Gary made decisions based on what was best for his family. He curtailed his original aspirations when his wife of 38 years, Mari, became pregnant with their first son, Chris. They later had a second son together, Steven, and Chris passed away in a motorcycle accident about 14 years ago. “We have a scholarship that we give out to a deserving eighth grader who has the same love for technology that my son Chris had,” Gary shares.

In the classroom, he acts as the last big mathematical influence on students before they hit high school, teaching eighth grade math, as well as some elective classes. In his classroom, kids are out of their seats, teaching peers math and using Expo markers to write out equations on desks.

“He sees a need and he’ll do it,” says Alyssa Wooten, principal at Jefferson. It’s to the point where we say ‘Gary, you can’t work 24 hours a day.’”

Gary doesn’t teach an easy class. Instead, he caters to advanced minds. “My expectation is students will rise to the challenge when given the opportunity,” he says. And when they falter, he’s there to help, with office hours some teachers may consider excessive.

“He’s passionate about the work. It’s not work to him. It’s just his calling,” says Charles Spikes, a colleague.

Gary puts his students first and he encourages them to reach their full potential. He also doesn’t give up on them. "I had a student that received an F in the first trimester and was in danger of not graduating,” he recalls. “I had a conversation with him, called home, and with some prodding, he was a strong B student.” “He sees a need and he’ll do it,” says Alyssa Wooten, principal at Jefferson. It’s to the point where we say ‘Gary, you can’t work 24 hours a day.”