Justin A. Koren, a dedicated area teacher and resident, has been nominated as an outstanding teacher for the Clear Channel Radio “Cash for Teachers” contest, won the February challenge and now will go to the finals in May when four Miami-Dade teachers will compete for $11,000, for the school and the teacher as well.
Koren, 27, currently teaches at South Dade Middle School in Homestead, formerly taught at Southwood Middle School in Palmetto Bay, and is a resident of Pinecrest. The nomination and entry in the contest came as a surprise to him.
“I actually didn’t have any idea about the competition until someone sent me an email telling me to vote,” Koren said. “I was totally surprised when I logged onto the website and saw my name and the beautiful essay that had been written about my work as an educator in this community.”
Clear Channel Broadcasting Inc. consists of radio stations in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area such as WHYI, WIOD, WMIA, WINZ, WMIB, WMGE and WBGG. After a parent of one of Koren’s students nominated him, other fans pitched in to help, including Cutler Ridge Elementary teacher Renee Y. Espinosa.
“Many of you may have found yourselves saying ‘teachers simply aren’t compensated for what they do every day, the schools don’t have the tools they need to educate kids nowadays’ and so forth,” Espinosa said. “This is your chance to reward an amazing teacher and help hundreds of children that attend a Title 1 school.”
Espinosa explained that Title 1 basically means that the majority of children attending the school fall at or below the poverty level.
Koren has had family living in Pinecrest since before the village incorporated. His grandparents and their four sons, one of whom is his father, moved down to Miami from Brooklyn, New York in 1968, and bought their home the next year. Koren commutes nearly 60 miles a day to work, but says that he never complains because he knows there are children excited to walk into his classroom, eager to learn. The contest would make a difference for them as well.
“The money will help the school immensely,” Koren said. “South Dade Middle is a Leadership Magnet School located in the Redland rural farming community. Many of my students have never left Homestead and I would like to use this money to not only provide resources inside the classroom, but to help take students outside the classroom as well. Miami is so rich in culture and yet, in these times of major budget cuts, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to expose students to all that we have to offer.”
Koren would like to charter a bus to take his students to the Miami Beach Holocaust Memorial, visit museums, look at real art, and write poetry.
“Those are lessons you just can’t get out of a textbook,” Koren said. “I wouldn’t exactly call my teaching approach conventional — though I am passionate about teaching my students about the power of their words and the power of their actions.
“For example, I spend a large part of my class exploring the Holocaust — encouraging students to use their eyes to see the world around them differently. I tell them to never be afraid to fight for what they believe in — not to stand by and contribute to the injustice in this world. The world is filled with such beautiful diversity — embrace it. If they fight it, their lives will be much less vibrant.”
Koren said that he deeply appreciates everyone’s efforts so far and thanks them all. But for him, it’s not just about a cash prize.
“To me, the competition is so much more than just winning a monetary award,” Koren said. “As an educator, the fact that my efforts have made a difference in children’s lives speaks far more volumes than a check ever can.”
The voting for the grand prize winner will take place from Tuesday, May 3, through Friday, May 20. Individuals may vote one time per day per email address. The link to register to vote is: <http://ccsf.upickem.net/engine/Registration.aspx?contestid=25123>.
