Monday, April 23, 2001

By Wayne Specht, Misawa bureau chief

Wayne Specht / Stars and Stripes Sollars Elementary School teacher Robin Evans helps Kimzey Metts select the right part for a science project while Brittney Garcia helps. Evans was recently selected teacher of the year by the Air Force Association.

MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan — Jozalyn Ward and her classmate Clarizza Ramos think Sollars Elementary School teacher Robin Evans is pretty nifty.

"She’s always been cool because she challenges our minds," Ward said of her fourth-grade teacher.

Ramos likes the way Evans "makes learning easy and doesn’t get mad if we make a mistake."

Youthful testimonials like these could be why the Air Force Association named Evans the association’s Aerospace Foundation Asia-Pacific Region teacher of the year. This honor includes a $500 award.

Evans, who has been teaching for 23 years, believes having an innate curiosity makes her a good teacher.

"I’m extremely curious, it keeps me going," said Evans, who has been teaching for the Department of Defense Dependents Schools for 10 years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Texas and a master’s in curriculum and instruction from the University of New Orleans.

Evans teaches School Wide Enrichment Programs in the first through sixth grades at Sollars. She likes the enrichment program approach because it allows children to make their own choices about learning, decisions that affect how their minds grow.

"A teacher should not be the center of the classroom," Evans said. "We help children to become learners, but we can’t choose all the information they need to know. It’s important that they know where to go to find what they need."

During her time in the classroom, Evans says that technology has been the biggest mover and shaker to come down the education freeway since color chalk.

"I have second-graders that are just so [computer] savvy," she said. "The teacher is taken from the podium and becomes a facilitator, and that pleases me because it shows children are in control of their own learning … that’s very powerful."

She cautions parents, however, to be mindful of what children can find on the Internet.

"The interactive ability of the Internet makes it all the more important to be watchful of the technology," she said.

Evans is also an active member of Sollars’ school improvement leadership and technology integration leadership teams.

"Robin gets the most out of her students through her creative challenges," said Sollars Principal Tom LaRue. "She’s one of those teachers who is a highly motivated self-starter who sets high standards for herself and her students."

Evans, along with Misawa’s 3rd Space Surveillance Squadron, is immersed in planning activities for the 4th annual Space Day, an effort aimed at rousing children’s interest in space and space exploration.

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