A high school English teacher and a middle school study skills and intervention teacher are the Sacramento County Teachers of the Year 2021. The Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) made the announcement during a virtual celebration on July 30.
Listen to the iHeartMedia interviews.
Belinda Foster is an 11th grade English teacher at Grant Union High School, in the Twin Rivers Unified School District. Lynda Bettencourt is a study skills and intervention teacher at James Rutter Middle School, in the Elk Grove Unified School District.
A selection committee comprised of education professionals, including previous Sacramento County Teachers of the Year, interviewed the 12 local district Teachers of the Year and selected the two winners.All of the school districts within Sacramento County, local charter schools, and SCOE, are invited to participate in the program each year. Larger districts are eligible to nominate two teachers.
Lynda Bettencourt (Elk Grove Unified School District)
Study Skills and Intervention teacher, James Rutter Middle School
• UC Davis graduate
• 30-year veteran of the Elk Grove Unified School District
• Formerly served as a Physical Education and Science to focus on teaching AVID, a program focused on college and career planning
• Her inspiration is her mother, a retired teacher from the Sacramento City Unified School District
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Belinda Foster (Twin Rivers Unified School District)
11th grade English teacher, Grant Union High School
• UC Davis graduate
• Also has a Masters in Educational Technology and Computer Concepts from Sacramento State
• Currently teaches creative writing, traditional English, and Environmental Science Based English as part of the Environmental Design Academy
• Teaches at the school where she was a student teacher while in college