‘My students are the legacy I get to leave behind.’ A new teacher of the year is here

Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ top educators gathered Wednesday evening as one of them was crowned Teacher of the Year in the annual celebration of the county’s best and most passionate teachers.

Roberto Rabelo, a social studies and civics teacher at South Miami Middle School, was named the 2027 Francisco R. Walker Teacher of the Year. Taking the stage at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Miami Airport & Convention Center, he received a new Toyota Corolla, a cash prize and a gift basket.

Rabelo sprung up from his seat after his name was announced and immediately embraced his wife Patty and his daughters Megan and Gabrielle.

“A teacher is not defined by the subject they teach. Rather, they’re defined by the inspiration they give their students with the passion they bring into your classroom,” Rabelo said in his acceptance speech. He thanked his fellow nominees for the work that they do and said, “We’re all winners today.”

A Miami-Dade native and product of public schools, Rabelo began teaching in 1993 after graduating from South Miami Senior High School and Florida International University.

Rabelo, 57, is a longtime South Miami Middle School teacher who frames ADHD as a strength rather than a limitation. Diagnosed with ADHD himself, he emphasizes discipline, effort and personal responsibility, encouraging students to harness their energy and avoid making excuses. He jokingly thanked his wife during his speech for putting up with the “crazy stuff” that ADHD can bring.

READ MORE: Meet the four finalists for Miami-Dade Teacher of the Year 2027

“Do what others won’t” is Rabelo’s personal philosophy, which he credits to his late mother. He started his speech by wishing her a happy birthday, adding that he missed her and hoped she was proud.

Of his three brothers, it was his youngest, Lazaro, who most inspired him to become a teacher. Lazaro developed cerebral palsy after a childhood medical emergency. Despite doctors’ grim predictions, Rabelo’s mother rejected imposed limits, a perspective that shaped his belief in perseverance and possibility.

“He inspired me to work with individuals facing his remarkable loss,” Rabelo said in his speech.

At school, Rabelo has earned a reputation as the “social, emotional and mental health guru,” including helping a struggling student who still tells him, “Mr. Rabelo, you saved me,” he told the Miami Herald in an interview a week before he was named the winner.

After returning from a six-month leave with just six weeks to prepare students for exams, his classes still achieved a 71% pass rate, and for the past three years, his students have exceeded district and state scores.

He often teaches students new to the country or learning English, reminding them that society doesn’t know how hard they’re willing to work.

A quiet student once told him, “We do so well because we click with you,” inspiring the classroom principle “ICLK” — inspire compassion, love and kindness. That idea carried beyond the classroom when students petitioned City Hall to make South Miami the nation’s first Compassionate City. Though the designation wasn’t adopted, the lesson stuck.

“Beside my daughters, my students are the legacy I get to leave behind,” Rabelo said Wednesday, mentioning that some of his former students were present for the ceremony.

Other winners and celebrations

There was constant cheering and applause as hundreds of people came dressed up to celebrate educators. The attendees enjoyed a “Wicked” performance by the theater students at Miami Arts Studio Middle School.

Hand-held cardboard cut-outs of the finalists’ faces were throughout the convention ballroom as their friends and families waved them around proudly.

“They paint a canvas of the significance, the influence and the lasting impact of a teacher,” said Jose L. Dotres, the superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools. “They gave us a rare gift ... the gift of getting to honor them and to reflect on the countless lives forever changed because they chose to teach.”

Runner-up for Teacher of the Year was Dale J. Adamson, who has spent 14 years teaching math, robotics and engineering at Howard D. McMillan Middle School. Influenced by his mother, a longtime math teacher, Adamson emphasizes strong relationships and high expectations — an approach that has helped his Algebra I students maintain a 98% proficiency rate on the End-of-Course exam for more than a decade.

Much of Adamson’s work centers on breaking down students’ fear of math and STEM, a mission that led him to build the school’s robotics program from scratch. With no formal robotics background, he started with a single kit and a small after-school club that has grown into a full course serving more than 200 students and earning awards.

The two other finalists were Julia Pennington-Gilchrist, a language arts teacher at Dr. Frederica S. Wilson/Skyway Elementary School, and Gary Spitnale, a culinary arts teacher at Miami Lakes Educational Center and Technical College.

Kristian Jose Luciano, of Homestead Middle School, was named Rookie Teacher of the Year.

This story was originally published January 28, 2026 at 11:15 PM.