Brian Dassler
named Broward’s 2007 Teacher of the Year

“There was an audible gasp from parents when I wrote my ten-digit cell phone number on the dry erase board during open house,” said Brian Dassler. Mr. Dassler believes that parents and families are key partners in the success of the students -- he even programs many parents’ numbers into his own cell phone. This is only one example of the teaching strategy that led him to be named Broward County Public Schools Teacher of the Year 2007.

Mr. Dassler was selected from among a group of twelve teachers who were finalists for the honor. The teachers were recognized at the District’s annual Teacher of the Year event held January 25, 2006 at the Broward County Convention Center.

Mr. Dassler joined the Stranahan High School faculty three years ago as an English and Introduction to Education teacher, but his history with Broward County Public Schools goes back much farther than three years. He is a product of the school district and served as his senior class president at Cooper City High School. A born leader, the Broward County Association of Student Councils chose him to serve as the Student Advisor to the School Board during his senior year. In that capacity, he was the students’ voice to the Board, Superintendent of Schools and the community during the 1996-97 academic year.

After graduation, Mr. Dassler went on to further his education at the University of Florida, where he earned a Bachelor’s in English and Master’s in English Education, but there was never any doubt that he would return to Broward County, “My family is here and my heart is here. I care very much about this place because it is my home,” he said. “I grew-up in South Florida and I feel like I have a stake here in being part of solutions and that I have something to contribute.

Now, as a Broward teacher, he continuously demonstrates his teaching philosophy: an unequivocal focus on student achievement, a sincere role for families in the education process, and classroom interaction and dialogue as a way of developing and refining communication and critical thinking skills.

Through participation in multiple business organizations, various local and state education programs, attendance at conferences, being a senior class sponsor and advisor to the National Honor Society, Mr. Dassler leads by example in encouraging students to take on leadership responsibilities and give back to others in the form of community service. He said, “Just as I am able to deploy resources to assist my students, the future teachers in my care are developing the network and the skill set to do the same for their future students.”

“I came to know that education was where I’m supposed to be in kind of a heart and soul way during high school. The teachers I had there helped clarify that for me. Amazing teachers like Maureen Lullo, Linda Davis, Ann Evans and Jan Cayere,” he said. Now it is Mr. Dassler’s turn to inspire students.

Congratulations to Mr. Dassler and to all the finalists!

Ches Kanno, Piper High School Laura Anne Kolo, Hallandale Adult and Community Center Ana Maria Leon, Wilton Manors Elementary School Kathy E. Lord, Coral Springs Middle School Velma L. Nelson, Silver Lakes Middle School Iris L. Payan, Hollywood Hills High School Rosemary C. Petrill, Atlantic Technical Center and Technical High School Peter J. Reidel, Seminole Middle School Christine N. Rodriguez, Miramar High SchoolCarlotta A. Rody, Cross Creek School Harriet Schaffer Zaret, Glades Middle School

Online Video Enhances Broward Virtual University Offerings

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then maybe video is worth a million. As fewer educators are able to attend face-to-face trainings, opportunities to observe best practices in action have declined. And, learning a new strategy or skill by reading alone is not as effective as seeing it demonstrated. Enter Broward Virtual University (BVU). It’s now offering an alternative to traditional face-to-face training by making video an integral component of its offerings. Program Development and Alignment staff members are filming video segments of teachers demonstrating best practices in the classroom – as well as other types of video – that can be used to enhance the professional knowledge of educators. After editing, these videos are placed in BVU’s online courses and are attached to Broward Education Enterprise Portal (BEEP) lessons.

Just think how video can enhance your learning. For example, BVU’s online science course, Unifying Concepts of Life Science, currently features text that describes how our body’s organs work together to form a system necessary for our survival. The digestive system breaks down food to provide energy, the skeletal system provides structure, etc. The lesson is straightforward but lackluster without the details and dynamics that video can provide.


Now imagine this lesson enhanced by a video/audio clip. Instantly, interest rises as a color, 3-D representation of the human body appears on the screen, rotating so the viewer can see the image from different angles. As the audio describes each system, the visual image of that system is displayed within the 3-D model of the body demonstrating the function and operation of the system. That’s the kind of thing that energizes a lesson. The video clips – when combined with the text – tap into several learning styles, not just one. And voilà! The learner is engaged and much more apt to understand and retain the information presented.

You can view the video clip just described at (www.broward.k12.fl.us/ci/downloads/demo.html). You can learn more about BVU's exciting online educational opportunities by visiting
(www.sbbc-vu.com)