By Morgan Thaler
Staff Writer
Teaching excellence is measured and recognized every year at Mira Costa, but every now and then, a special teacher receives more appreciation than from just his or her own school.
Over this past summer Linda Gesualdi, Costa’s Advanced Placement calculus AB and pre-calculus teacher, became one of 16 semi finalists for Los Angeles County’s 2012 Teacher of the Year. Gesualdi finished as a semi finalist, but she still values the overall experience.
Some of Gesualdi’s fellow colleagues selected her as the district and Costa Teacher of the Year, but Gesualdi did not stop there. An MBUSD committee of administrators then interviewed and observed Gesualdi in order to be eligible for L.A. County Teacher of the Year.
Costa English teacher Shannon Vaughan, history teacher Bill Fauver and Pacific Elementary teacher Linda Okumura have all been awarded MBUSD Teacher of the Year and entered the L.A. County competition.
“Ms. Gesualdi is an incredible teacher,” senior Jaclyn Henn said. “She is truly dedicated to her students and really deserved to be honored with this award.”
Gesualdi was one of 25 teachers that the L.A. County Office of Education selected as a possible Teacher of the Year. She then went through a second application process that required another interview and three more essays about her experiences as a teacher. After review by a special committee in Sacramento, Gesualdi was selected as an L.A. County Teacher of the Year semi finalist.
“I feel like I make a difference for the better,” Gesualdi said. “I like that I get to essentially work with the future of America. Plus, it’s really fun. If I’m having a bad day, I can always count on a student cracking a joke that cheers me up.”
While going through the L.A. County Teacher of the Year application and process, Gesualdi had the chance to reflect on her years of teaching at Costa and why she became a teacher in the first place. In one of her L.A. County Teacher of the Year essays, Gesualdi wrote about the specific qualities of teaching that drew her to the profession.
“I love the interaction with the students because they never cease to amaze me,” Gesualdi said. “Every student is different and has their own talents that I get to learn about throughout the year.”
Nearly two weeks ago, Gesualdi found out that she is out of contention for becoming L.A. County’s Teacher of the Year. Despite no longer being in competition for the award, Gesualdi has to go to the L.A. County Office of Education in May where she will share and discuss her experiences as a semi finalist.
In July, Gesualdi will read next year’s applications, a formality for all L.A. County Teacher of the Year semi finalists. Even though she did not have the chance to become the L.A. County Teacher of the Year, Gesualdi maintains a positive outlook on the experience in addition to appreciating the honor.
“The process was really time intensive,” Gesauldi said. “There were moments when I thought about what it means to be a teacher. In retrospect, after the process was over, it makes you think about your career and how you’ve decided to spend your life. I love that I am able to impact the future of America”
Gesualdi has taught math classes at Costa for 27 years. According to students, Gesualdi fosters a positive attitude as well as a positive learning environment.
“Ms. G is a really enjoyable teacher that knows how to keep the class interesting but also teaches us about morals and integrity,” junior Kirk La said.
Though the actual teaching of calculus is a major part of her job, Gesualdi knows that there is a lot more to learning than simply working with different numbers and formulas.
“Ms. G works really hard and makes sure that every student is given quality time,” senior Abha Nath said. “She really deserved the award, and anyone who will have her in future years will be really fortunate.”
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