Kent’s Heath up for People Magazine’s Teacher of the Year

Published 1:05 pm Friday, August 23, 2013

Jermoie Heath, a fifth-grade teacher at Kent’s Pine Tree Elementary School, is among six finalists vying for People Magazine’s Teacher of the Year.

A colleague described Heath as “the most creative young teacher I have ever met.”

According to Heath’s philosophy, explained on the contest’s webpage, “School should be fun for students and teachers, something I think we all forgot when standardized tests came along.”

In place of books, Heath uses costumes and immersive decorations to completely transform his classroom monthly.

The winner will receive a $5,000 donation – to be shared with the school – and be featured in a fall issue of People Magazine.

Voting ends Sept. 5.

To learn more and to cast your vote, visit specials.people.com/teacherofyear.