Maryland Teacher Motivates Students and
Wins White House Praise.

Her daycare teacher and summers spent working at a children's camp inspired Kimberly Oliver to become an educator. She converted that early inspiration into a career so noteworthy that the 28-year-old earned the 2006 National Teacher of the Year title. President George W. Bush honored Oliver at a White House ceremony this past spring. Oliver says she entered teaching to "motivate and inspire the neediest students, whom many have written off just because of the circumstances they were born into." Focusing on individualized education, instilling a love of reading, and tailoring lessons and projects for individual students helped the kindergarten teacher better her school and community.

In her six years at Maryland's Broad Acres Elementary School, Oliver helped build consistency in curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The once-struggling school met or exceeded No Child Left Behind requirements for the last three years. To promote literacy, Oliver helps sponsor "Books and Supper Night," a family event held in the library four times a year. Working with colleagues, she wrote and received grants for electronic learning systems, tape players, and books in English and Spanish. She even taught one student's parents English.