Obama Honors Burbank’s Rebecca Mieliwocki as Teacher of the Year
President Obama recognized Burbank teacher Rebecca Mieliwocki as the 2012 National Teacher of the Year during a ceremony Tuesday at the White House.
Mieliwocki, a seventh-grade English teacher at Luther Burbank Middle School, was cheered loudly by the audience at the event. Obama pointed out a particularly loud cheering section during his remarks.
“This is Rebecca’s crew right here, who are very proud. Auntie, cousins?” Obama asked the group.
“My boss,” Mieliwocki interjected, to laughs.
“Oh, boss. Even more important,” he said.
Obama spoke about how Mieliwocki was raised by two public schoolteachers but took a somewhat roundabout way into the profession.
She first aspired to be a lawyer, then worked in publishing, then floral design and event planning.
“But ultimately, she found herself drawn back to the classroom,” he said. “And her students are so lucky that she did.”
The profession suits her personality as a self-proclaimed “12-year-old goofball dying to get out,” Obama said, adding, “And I have to say, she was a little goofy when I met her.”
He noted that Mieliwocki sets high expectations for her students and herself, developing creative lessons, hosting family nights, sending weekly parent memos and maintaining a Facebook page for her class.
“Rebecca is the definition of above and beyond,” he said.