Tory Babcock named 2001 County Teacher of Year

Tory Babcock, an English teacher at Santa Ynez Union High Schools for the past nine years, was named 2001 Santa Barbara County Teacher of the Year.    The announcement was made by County Superintendent of Schools Bill Cirone at a press conference convened during the monthly meeting of the Santa Barbara County Board of Education April 6.

Babcock, one of a number of outstanding countywide nominees for the honor, was selected by a five-person committee including representatives of teachers, administrators, PTAs,  and school boards. 

Two Distinguished Educators will be announced at a separate press conference at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, April 19, also in the Board Room of the Santa Barbara County Education Office.

Superintendent Cirone expressed hearty congratulations for Babcock’s professionalism, enthusiasm, and successes in the classroom and as a model for others both locally and nationally.

Babcock, the first teacher to receive national board certification in Santa Barbara County, received her B.A. and M.A. in English from the University of California/Santa Barbara.  She received her teaching credential from Chapman University.  She attended high school locally in Santa Barbara County.

For six years after graduation she served as a teaching assistant, associate, and lecturer in the English Department at UCSB, where she taught all phases of the Freshman English program.  The following two years were spent as chair of the English Department at Dunn School, while she also taught part-time at Alan Hancock College.  For the past nine years she has taught at Santa Ynez Valley High School, covering almost all the course offerings for grades 9-12 in the English Department.

Babcock is a fellow if the South Coast Writing Project, an active member of The Teachers Network—IMPACT II, and has served as a mentor teacher four times.  She has served on her school’s SITE Council, served as president of the school’s faculty association, head of the Staff Development Committee, and a member of the Professional Growth Committee.  The many summer conferences she has attended include the Advanced Placement conference at Stanford University.

Her community involvement has included participation as a long-standing soccer coach for the American Youth Soccer Association and the California Youth Soccer Association, coaching both regular season and All-Stars, and serving on the AYSO Board of Directors and acting as Head Coach.  She also organized the community service program for the National Honor Society at her high school and has helped coordinate participation in the Salvation Army Holiday Kettle Drive and the bike-a-thon for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

“Demanding and nurturing are two words that define the parameters of my classroom, for I have exceedingly high expectations for my students and continually reinforce my confidence in their abilities,” she wrote.

“I am by nature optimistic and because as a teacher I have the best job in the world, I try to make my classroom a high energy, fun place where the kids are valued, but where we get serious work done.”

Wrote district superintendent Dr. Fred Van Leuven:  “Tory has a rare, almost fanatical drive; one that will not accept failure.  She has motivated the toughest kids, challenging them to tremendous heights.  The bottom line—it is all about students gaining the love of reading, writing, and how to think critically in Tory’s classroom, and how to become good citizens and people.”

Wrote parents William and Debra Etling:  “Mrs. Babcock was not only an outstanding teachers, she was motivational beyond the classroom.  She inspired confidence and self-esteem.  She demanded hard work... She challenged them, she forced them to think, to reason, to understand the material and issues and ultimately themselves more completely…Her commitment to excellence, her character, her attitude and her intelligence make her a great teacher.”

Wrote former student Jennifer Skytt:  “Tory does an outstanding job of showing how the knowledge gained from literature can considerably impact an individual’s concept of the world around them…She has the capacity to understand many different types of students, figuring out the best way to help each of them realize their own strengths.  In making them feel as though they are valued for who they are and for their individual talents, her impact…leaves lasting impressions on her students that resonate long into their futures.

Wrote colleague Jeff Reck:  “Tory is the consummate professional.  Her success teaching the whole range of students, from the brightest to those in need of remediation, has been phenomenal.  She reveals our potential for excellence, as well as our capacity to positively influence and be appreciate by students and parents.”

Babcock’s nomination will next be reviewed for consideration as California Teacher of the Year in the fall.  The California winner will then proceed into consideration for National Teacher of the Year. 

As Santa Barbara County Teacher of the Year, Babcock will be available to speak countywide, and can be reached at Santa Ynez High School or at the County Education Office, by calling Robin Sawaske at 964-4711, ext. 5281.