Rock Hill's Bryan Coburn is South Carolina's 2009 - 10 Teacher of the Year

Bryan Coburn, a business, computer programing and pre-engineering teacher at Northwestern High School in Rock Hill was named South Carolina's teacher of the year in Columbia, SC on Friday night (May 1, 2009).

The 19-year teaching veteran will represent South Carolina in the National Teacher of the Year program. He also won $25,000, a laptop computer and a BMW to drive for a year.

Coburn gets to know each of his students to find a specific connection to his lesson. He might teach trajectory through a volleyball serve or ask a student who plays the guitar why the bridge is built at an angle.

During the next school year, he will participate in a one-year residency program at the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention and Advancement (CERRA) and serve as a statewide ambassador for the profession. He will participate in Leadership South Carolina, attend Notre Dame’s prestigious three-day Excellence in Teaching Symposium and receive a SMART board.

This year marks the 44th year of the South Carolina Teacher of the Year Program, which has grown tremendously in participation and prestige. The awards program is a nationally recognized event that honors the State Teacher of the Year, Honor Roll teachers and district teachers of the year.

The 2009-10 corporate sponsors include: BMW Manufacturing Co.; Time Warner Cable; Michelin North America, Inc.; The R.L. Bryan Company; Childs and Halligan, P.A.; Data Recognition Corporation; SMARTer Kids Foundation; Duff, White & Turner, L.L.C.; Duke Energy; Leadership South Carolina; Notre Dame Club of the Western Carolinas; SCE&G; State Farm Insurance; Wachovia Bank; avannah River Nuclear Solutions; and
Haynsworth, Sinkler and Boyd.

Bryan succeeds Jenna Hall, a teacher at Calhoun Academy for the Arts in Anderson School District 5.

Coburn’s personal philosophy is based on three tenets. “First, I believe that every one of my students is intelligent and unique. Understanding their backgrounds, learning styles, and personal experiences is crucial to enhancing their ownership of learning. Secondly, I believe that for each student there is a ‘hook.‘ This is not
a temporary snag that briefly holds their attention but one on which they can ultimately ‘hang their hat.‘ Finally, I believe that enthusiasm and excitement for learning are fundamental and essential characteristics for a teacher. A teacher who loves learning passes the desire to learn along to students. The rewards of teaching are those that are shared by student and teacher alike.“ Once Coburn personally engages students in learning and tailors his lesson to their needs and knowledge base, their grasp of the subject matter is far stronger because it is relevant to them. Coburn graduated from Milligan College and earned a master of arts in teaching degree from Winthrop University.

Bryan is National Board certified.

You can read about Friday night's events, with some great quotes, in an article by Shawn Cetrone in Saturday's The Rock Hill Herald. Below are some pictures of the event from The Herald's Melissa Cherry: