Vanessa Valle of Hialeah Gardens High wins Miami-Dade’s teacher of the year
Vanessa Valle wears many hats at Hialeah Gardens Senior High School.
She teaches English to students of all levels. She’s the literacy coach, Reading Department chair and lead teacher for the school’s law academy. And she’s a doctoral student, college professor and mother of three.
On Thursday night, Valle took on one more title: The 2021 Francisco R. Walker Teacher of the Year.
“I never imagined I’d be standing before you, reading this speech, yet, here I am. All because people believed in me,” Valle, 37, told the crowd. “Let’s continue to believe in our children, inspire them to dream, and fill them with love.”
Valle and her daughters couldn’t help but cry when Superintendent Alberto Carvalho called her name. A sea of “Fatheads” — placards featuring Valle’s smiling face — waved in support as she accepted her award at the annual event, hosted at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Miami Airport & Convention Center. The competition is set a year in advance to follow the state’s format for the competition.
Valle is all about the transformations she sees in her students, especially the ones who never saw themselves as dual-enrollment students and flourish in her class. That’s what made her stand out among nearly 20,000 teachers in the Miami-Dade County school district.
In his remarks, Carvalho referenced the shocking death Sunday of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, who perished in a helicopter crash along with one his daughters and seven other people. He reminded the crowd that teachers’ hugs are often the only love some students receive.
“We don’t how much longer we have to perform our magic... to earn respect.. to teach,” he said. “All of the good things we have left must be front loaded.”
Carvahlo also emphasized teachers role in pushing their students forward with a nod to a student’s performance of Josh Groban’s “You Raise Me Up” earlier in the night.
“You raise them up to more than they can be,” he quoted Groban. “You inspire them to places never before imagined.”
The inspirational power of teaching also was amplified by Kalyn Lee, of Miami Carol City Senior High, who was named rookie teacher of the year. The English teacher has brought dual enrollment speech and debate classes to the school and led her class on a trip to the March for Our Lives rally in Washington, D.C. Lee accepted her award as her family cheered and amped up the excitement with pink and green clappers.
For Valle’s colleagues, her passion in the classroom is evident.
“She is always willing to share her expertise with her co-workers and always willing to go that extra mile to help students and teachers,” wrote Michelle Dehghani, who serves on the school’s nominating committee, in Valle’s recommendation. “She is and always has been very dependable.”
Winning the district title is a dream come true for Valle, who has been nominated for the honor several times.
“Very surreal. I don’t want to cry. It feels like someone noticed that you did something a little bit different and that you truly love what you do,” Valle told the Herald ahead of the awards ceremony. “And not only that you love what you do but that you love your career, you respect your career. And that you have the passion to drive your career and help others fall in love with it too.”
Valle in her speech also thanked her competitors: Ashley C. R. Vangates of George Washington Carver Elementary, Stephen M. Pereira Jr., of School for Advanced Studies – Wolfson Campus and Lisa Y. Jones of C.O.P.E. Center North. Pereira, the south region finalist, was named the runner-up.
Valle’s winnings include $5,000, a gift basket and a new Toyota. She will advance to the state-level teacher of the year competition held later this year.
This story was originally published January 30, 2020 at 9:28 PM.