At a time when teacher performance has come under greater scrutiny and unions have become entrenched in district budget battles, it may be easy to forget that in the midst of it all, there are educators who continue to perform admirably.
Meet Melissa Ann Pamperin, a fifth-grade teacher at Miller Elementary School who was chosen this year as Burbank Unified's teacher of the year.
It was her attention to the individual student that her peers say makes her stand out. Arriving on days off to have one-on-one meetings with students, leaving personal handwritten notes in desks with words of encouragement — or condolences when a family pet dies — these are the hallmarks of an educator who takes her role in these young lives seriously.
