A monumental day for two Palm Springs Unified teachers, accomplishing a tough task, 2018 Riverside County Teacher of the Year. The found out back in May that they’d be sharing the title with two other teachers in Riverside County but on Wednesday morning, their achievements finally set in.
"I don’t even know what to say, speechless," said Dr. Brian McDaniel, the Director of Bands at Painted Hills Middle School.
As McDaniel stood this morning, embraced in his mothers arms along side Michelle Beyronneau, the two realized just how much they’ve made an impact in their classrooms.
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"Whether or not I have them for one year or four years, the goal is to really get to know them and them get to know me, so they really do feel comfortable asking whatever it is they need to be successful," said Beyronneau.
The two along with Coachella Valley Unified’s Edwin Detoya and one other teacher, were chosen out of hundreds across the county. The process which takes months, was very strenuous.
"Did interviews in person, once we moved on from that, they were able to come to my site and actually do site visits, they did interviews with students and observed my classroom and my teaching practices," said Beyronneau.
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For McDaniel, the honor is even more important. He grew up here in the valley, marching in the Cathedral City High School Band. Decades later, he’s helping fine-tune his students success in the community he was raised in.
"Hopefully this is going to inspire them to do better in school," he said.
For the next month, thousands driving down Palm Drive leaving Desert Hot Springs, will get a glimpse of the two educators and their accomplishments., while Beyronneau and McDaniel work towards an even bigger goal, to be named California’s Teacher of the Year.
That announcement is expected to come within the next few weeks. If chosen, they would have to go through another series of interviews before another selection is made, narrowing down the field.
