The San Joaquin County Office of Education (SJCOE) has announced that Gary Pease was named the 2022 San Joaquin County Teacher of the Year.
As San Joaquin County Teacher of the Year, Pease received $1,000 from Premier Community Credit Union, a longtime supporter of educators in San Joaquin County. Pease’s nomination will now be submitted to the state for consideration as California Teacher of the Year.
Pease was one of five finalists for the award this year, a group that also included Staci Diaz of El Portal Middle School.
He has 21 years of teaching experience and is currently an eighth-grade math teacher at Jefferson School (Jefferson Elementary School District). Pease is a master of his subject area, and he is able to inspire students, said Jefferson School Principal Alyssa Wooten, who nominated Pease for the award.
“Due to his intense understanding, he implements unique ways and fun language to help students learn the concept, and they remember it years down the road,” she wrote in her nomination. “Mr. Pease keeps his students on the edge of their seat and engaged throughout the class period.”
In addition to mentoring teachers and leading the district’s math professional learning team, Pease is credited for growing Jefferson School’s STEAM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) department. Pease is also a coach and athletic director.
The surprise announcement was the culminating moment at the 2022 San Joaquin County Classified Employees and Teacher of the Year Awards Celebration Dinner, held at the SJCOE on Thursday, June 9. The annual awards honor the best of the best in the education profession and celebrate the talented, caring, and committed educators and school personnel who make a difference in the lives of their students and the community. In addition to celebrating teachers and classified employees, this year’s dinner was also an occasion to recognize two retiring superintendents: Ron Costa (Escalon Unified School District) and Dr. Brian Stephens (Tracy Unified School District).
The SJCOE announced the county Classified School Employees of the Year winners earlier this year. Each winner received $400 from Premier Community Credit Union and was nominated to be California School Employee of the Year. Each Teacher of the Year finalist also received $400 from Premier Community Credit Union.
