Deborah Roth

Becoming a teacher was a very natural choice for Deborah. She loves working with children and has had many positive experiences, even before she became a teacher. Since beginning her teaching career twenty-two years ago, she has participated in Special Olympics and instructed swimming classes for children and adults, including the disabled. Additionally, she volunteered as a tutor in a hospital which provided a service to mentally challenged young adults, some of whom had Downs Syndrome.

The last fourteen years of her teaching career have been at Bamberg Elementary School, Warner Barracks, Germany. She is currently teaching 2nd/3rd multi-aged class. She believes that her greatest contribution to education is her commitment to teaching her students to be "giraffes" who "stick their necks out" for their fellow human beings. She is willing to make the extra effort in reaching out to children and guide them along the way to success. Each child is accepted and valued for whatever strengths he or she may have to offer, whether those strengths are academic, physical, emotional or social. In her class, each student learns to recognize his or her own innate worth, encouraged and supported by the entire class.

Deborah completed her Bachelors Degree in Special Education/Psychology at Central Michigan University. She earned her Masters in Education at Saginaw Valley University. Along with being selected Teacher of the Year, Deborah has also been awarded Certificate of Recognition 82nd Engineer Battalion Task Force Falcon, Kosovo, DoDDs Certificate of Exceptional Performance and Logical Task Force 201 Certificate of Achievement.

"I believe the essence of education is the development, nurturing and growth of each student. Paramount in my philosophy is the consistent combination of purposeful work, a sage environment that encourages inquiry and innovation, and an emphasis on humanitarian responsibility in every endeavor."