Title: Teacher

Company: Brush School District RE-2J

Location: Brush, Colo.

Teaching takes hard work, courage, patience and perseverance, and Ms. Ponsford states that is not something that everyone can do. However, she has been in this profession for just about four decades, and she finds it very rewarding. What she enjoys most is influencing students as individuals; after all, she believes teachers are the most important factor in education. When she looks back on her experience as a public school teacher, she is grateful to have had a chance to put personal effort into her students’ education, and more importantly, she knows that she made a positive difference in these students’ lives.

Ms. Ponsford is now an adult English as a Second Language teacher at Morgan Community College, and she has been honored by Who’s Who Among American Teachers on two separate occasions. As a college educator, she finds balance between federal control and her own teaching methods. She does not let strict rules and regulations discourage her as an educator, and continues putting the needs of her students first. While complying with rules and regulations is now an inherent part of being an educator, she respects the time and effort administrators have put into the educational process. She is able to view administrators as fellow professionals, and because most professionals began their careers in the classroom, they do genuinely care about their students.

Ms. Ponsford states that teaching has become “prescriptive and not creative, thanks to the No Child Left Behind Act and the bureaucracy it created.” Now, she teaches tests created by publishing companies, upon which children are heavily evaluated, and teachers are judged by student scores that celebrate numbers rather than individual achievements. She hopes to see the field of education transformed by those in power who realize the humanity of teachers and students. Ms. Ponsford asks that students, teachers and families be regarded as more than numbers and respected for their uniqueness and individual differences.

Ms. Ponsford first earned a B.A. in education through the Western State College of Colorado in 1971. She went on to pursue graduate-level coursework through Fort Hays State University and the University of Northern Colorado. She now holds a teaching certificate with ESL endorsement for kindergarten through 12th grade in the state of Colorado. At the moment, she is pursuing a literacy instruction authorization endorsement as well.

She belongs to the Colorado Retired Education Association and volunteers through an after-school tutoring program. In the past, Ms. Ponsford served as the vice president of Delta Kappa Gamma, and she has held memberships to the National Education Association and Colorado Education Association.