Seth Berg Named 2008 Colorado Teacher of the Year

Telluride math and science teacher Seth Berg has a saying about how he inspires his students. He says, “ “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink. It’s our job as teachers to at least make him thirsty.”

Berg, a Telluride Education Association-CEA-NEA member, will have the opportunity to share his teaching philosophy with fellow teachers across Colorado because he is the 2008 Colorado Teacher of the Year. Berg learned of the honor October 17 at a ceremony honoring the finalists for the annual award.

His teaching philosophy includes creating a classroom environment in which students explore intellectual ideas and abstract concepts, while appreciating the power of the mind, the importance of curiosity, and the satisfaction of their own growth.

Mary Rubadeau, Telluride superintendent, said, “Seth inspires students by building relationships and setting high, clear standards for achievement.”

Telluride H.S. principal Peter Mueller added, “Seth works well with others because he focuses on how to teach students well. It’s not about ego for Seth, it’s about being the best educator one can be and that is why he has established himself as a truly remarkable educator.”

The Teacher of the Year is chosen by a six-member committee from a list of nominees of exemplary classroom teachers. CEA is represented on the committee. The honoree becomes Colorado’s nominee for National Teacher of the Year and serves as an ambassador for teachers and the teaching profession.

Four other educators were finalists in this year’s selection process: Karen Libby, Denver CTA member and language arts teacher at Hamilton Middle School; Christa Lundberg, Academy EA member and science teacher at Discovery Canyon Campus; Caren Kershner, science and art teacher at Moffat Consolidated School in the San Luis Valley; and Carol Lockhart, social studies teacher at Las Animas Middle School in Swink in southeast Colorado.

The Colorado Department of Education and the Colorado State Board of Education sponsor the Teacher of the Year program, and are supported by CTB/McGraw-Hill, Colorado Masons, The Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, SMARTer Kids Foundation, SMART Technologies Inc., NEC Technologies and AlphaSmart.