Alisyn Blanton, a fifth-grade teacher at Miguelito Elementary School in Lompoc, has been named the 2022 Santa Barbara County Teacher of the Year.
The announcement was made Thursday afternoon during the Santa Barbara County Board of Education meeting.
“Alisyn is a gifted educator who shares her love of learning throughout her classroom and school community. She is committed to educational excellence and demonstrates her passion, skill and dedication with energy and fervor,” county Superintendent of Schools Susan Salcido said. “Teachers like Alisyn inspire students to learn, grow, achieve and succeed.”
“During the pandemic, we have been working to provide a high-quality, rigorous and accountable education that simply looks and feels different at home. We have worked harder than we ever have in our entire careers,” Blanton said. “We reinvented our scripts and even threw them away for new ones. We are working to engage students in ways we never imagined. This is because teaching is a profession of pride, not payout.”
Choosing the Santa Barbara County Teacher of the Year is not simple and requires several steps, county education officials noted. Each nominee completed an extensive application and submitted letters of recommendation. A committee reviewed the applications and selected finalists.
An interview process involved candidates sharing a unique instructional practice via Zoom and discussing their educational philosophy.
“I envy no committee that must work to select one teacher to represent this profession in the midst of a pandemic,” Blanton said. “We are each and all truly Teachers of the Year. I have never been prouder to be a teacher in Santa Barbara County.”
Blanton, who grew up in Orcutt, has taught at Lompoc Unified School District campuses since 2004.
“Alisyn’s dedication and grit is a rarity,” Superintendent Trevor McDonald said. “Her students are better for it. Alisyn is able to bring out the best in others. Her zeal for teaching and learning is infectious. Alisyn is committed to student improvement, making school what we all dream of.”
Miguelito Principal Becky Sausker said Blanton creates an engaging classroom culture that accepts and celebrates differences while holding high expectations for her students.
“Her ingenuity and willingness to learn helped her adapt that same classroom culture to the remote universe,” Sausker said.
Blanton is a graduate of UCSB with a bachelor of arts degree in psychology. After working for the Community Action Commission, she returned to school, pursuing her master of arts degree in education from UC Santa Cruz.
As the recipient of the county’s Teacher of the Year award, Blanton represents the county’s exceptional educators and now is eligible for the state and national Teacher of the Year recognition programs.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.