Vickie Mike, Ed.D., Horseheads High School Spanish teacher, has been named the 2009 New York State Teacher of the Year. New York State Commissioner of Education Richard Mills announced the award at the Board of Regents meeting September 15.
Mike, a Horseheads graduate, has been teaching at Horseheads High School for 28 years. She has been a teacher for more than 30 years.
She is now the state representative for the National Teacher of the Year Award. Next year, she will join representatives from the other states and territories at the White House, when the new President will announce the National Teacher of the Year.
Mike will be honored at several statewide events this year, and she will speak at several events throughout the state. Her first honor will be at the kickoff of the New York State School Boards Association Annual Convention in New York City. A reception honoring Mike and the other four state finalists will be held in October 20 Albany.
The selection process was extensive, lasting some six months last school year. Mike was required to submit an application package, answering several questions about her philosophy of education, her thoughts on education, and her own credentials, as well as letters of reference. A representative from the State Education Department spent the day at Horseheads High School last spring, speaking to committees of students, parents, and colleagues on their impressions of Mike, her teaching skills, and her contributions to her students' lives, the school, and the community.
Dr. Vickie Mike, foreign language teacher at Horseheads High School, is the 2009 New York State Teacher of the Year.
The Horseheads High School graduate has been a teacher for more than 30 years. She began her teaching career in the Rochester and Buffalo areas. In 1980 she returned to Horseheads and is in her 29th year with the Horseheads Central School District this year.
In addition to teaching, she is the district's department chairperson for Languages Other than English.
Mike has received several honors during her teaching career. She has been the recipient of a Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship, a National Endowment for the Humanities Award, the Horseheads National Honor Society Teacher of the Year, and the Twin Tiers Outstanding Educator Award. Most recently, in October of 2007, she was invited to participate as a Delegate of World Language Educators Symposium in China.
In addition to teaching Spanish, Mike is actively involved in professional development institutes and workshops for teachers. She has presented many workshops on curriculum, instruction, assessment, and technology for teachers. She is dedicated to preparing students and teachers to be global citizens who embrace lifelong learning.
Mike graduated from Horseheads High School in 1971. She earned an Associate's degree from Corning Community College in 1973, a Bachelor's degree from State University of New York at Brockport in 1976, a Master's degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1983, and a Doctorate in Education from Binghamton University in 2000.
As an undergraduate and graduate student, she studied abroad at the Universities of Seville, Salamanca, and Madrid, in Spain, as well as at the University of Besançon in France.
Mike lives in Elmira with her husband Tom. Her personal interests include travel, art, historic homes and neighborhoods, the First Tee Golf Program, and golfing.
