Pasco teacher earns top honor from state

SEATTLE – This year’s Washington teacher of the year started her career in business and got into education 11 years ago after her husband’s family persuaded her to give the family profession a try.

Laura Jones, 38, who teaches career and technical education at Pasco High School, is married to an elementary school physical education teacher, Jeff Jones, whose father, grandfather and brother are also educators.

She was one of nine regional finalists honored on Friday at the Museum of Flight here. Jones will spend a year traveling around the state as an ambassador to teachers, while keeping up with her work in the classroom.

The other regional finalists were Tammy Mendoza of Tekoa Elementary School, Brenda Marler of Toppenish Middle School, Mark Gardner of Camas High School, Dana Persson-Zora of Stevens Elementary School in Aberdeen, Darryl Elves of Poulsbo Elementary School, Lorna Gilmour of Issaquah Middle School, Ruth Lucero of Warden High School and Cynthia McIntyre of Everett High School.

Jones said every teacher honoresd at the ceremony could just as easily have been the winner. The descriptions of their accomplishments by Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson showed she agreed.

“They represent the best of the best. … These are incredible human beings,” said Bergeson, who was not on the award committee. “You can imagine what it’s like to try to pick the winner.”

Jones teaches marketing, leads a schoolwide program on business education and started a class on marketing for the commercial food industry in cooperation with a local commercial kitchen. She is coach of the school’s marketing club, which runs the school store as well as selling products, such as salsa.

In addition to sharing her passion for marketing, Jones teaches students the relevance of what they are learning in other classrooms and finds a way to get math, reading, writing and science into her business curriculum, Bergeson said.

Jones has a bachelor’s degree in public relations from Central Washington University and went back to Central to take the classes she needed for her teaching certificate. Jones previously worked for Waggener Edstrom public relations in Seattle before moving to the Tri-Cities. She also has a master’s degree in education from Heritage University and just finished a career education director program at Central.

Pasco Superintendent Saundra Hill said after the ceremony that she had hoped Jones might be the winner.

“I knew she had a really good shot at it. She is just the best of the best,” Hill said. “She’s able to connect the classroom to the real world.”

Jones said the only thing she misses from business are the fancy corporate parties, the freedom to have a bad day sometimes and regular breaks to go out to lunch or get a cup of coffee.

But she says she never looks back and doesn’t even miss those fancy coffee drinks.

“The kids make my coffee for me every day because we have an espresso machine,” Jones said with a big smile. “Every day is a reward. It really is.”

Last year’s winner, Andrea Peterson of Granite Falls, who is this year’s national teacher of the year, was on hand for the ceremony and spoke about her experience traveling to 33 states with her husband and infant daughter.

She said people around the nation were impressed that she came from Washington state and were aware of the education reforms happening here. One of her favorite memories so far of her experience as national teacher of the year comes from a recent visit to Onalaska High School, where she graduated and her father still teaches special education.

“They had Andrea Peterson Day. It was crazy,” she said.

Peterson started the day observing her father in the classroom and spoke to his star student, who was not happy school officials were talking about moving him to the regular classroom. The student said he couldn’t succeed without the help of her father. She said her long talk with the student reminded her of the power of a great teacher.

“It was amazing to stand in the White House. It was amazing to meet the president. But it does not compare to the cards and letters I’ve gotten from students who say, ‘You have changed my life,’ ” Peterson said.