By Khalida Sarwari
For Sandra Tolbert, winning the Goldin Excellence in Education award means carrying the torch passed on by the legions of colleagues and mentors before her.
The Marshall Lane Elementary School teacher was paid a visit recently by Harriet Goldin, an educator who started the Goldin Foundation 26 years ago with the aim of not only attracting new teachers but retaining established teachers by recognizing their efforts in the classroom.
“She is just a wealth of educational wisdom,” said Tolbert, 43. “She wanted to meet all the recipients before the award ceremony in Los Altos. She came to observe and she ended up staying for two hours at our school. She had so much to share, so much encouragement to pass along.
Added Tolbert, “It was a real honor.”
It was Goldin herself who had called Tolbert in early March to notify her she had won. Tolbert said she had learned the news just a few days prior by visiting the Goldin website. She described feeling “thrilled” and “excited” upon discovering her name on the list of recipients.
“I couldn’t really believe it because I had some friends who had been recipients of this award in the past, and it was just an honor that I could be among them,” she said.
Tolbert, who resides in Campbell, has been teaching at Marshall Lane for five years and has 12 years of teaching experience. Aside from teaching kindergarten, she is a facilitator of the Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports program on campus, a national program that attempts to improve the behavioral climate in classrooms.
Before coming to Campbell Union, Tolbert taught in the Cupertino Union and Moreland school districts.
Later in the week, Tolbert and other educators from the region attended an awards ceremony that doubled as an education forum in Los Altos. The experience was memorable, she said, and it was helpful listening to the other recipients. She said she hopes more teachers in the area become aware of the Goldin Foundation and apply for the award.
“Silicon Valley has so many amazing teachers,” said Tolbert. “It would be wonderful for more teachers to apply and continue to have Silicon Valley be a leader in education.”
She applied in October after she heard about the Goldin organization from a student teacher and felt she met the criteria, which asked applicants to demonstrate how they’ve made an impact on others, implemented a creative approach that has made a difference in the classroom and served as an exemplary model for students. She was also required to submit letters of recommendation from parents, colleagues and her student teacher.
The Saratoga City Council is expected to recognize both Tolbert for her Goldin win and Marshall Lane for earning the Caring School Climate award through Project Cornerstone on June 17.
Jasmine Leyva contributed to this story.
