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Roberta Maubach, 2008 Golden Apple winner, with Debra Erikson, director of the Golden Apple Central Illinois Program

Roberta Maubach: A 2008 Golden Apple Award Winner

By Matt Kurnick

(April 15, 2008) As Roberta Maubach received the basket of apples, signifying the Golden Apple Award, it was obvious why she is a deserving recipient.

"She's the best teacher there is," Simon Heinrich, one of Maubach's students, shouted for all to hear.

Maubach, a third-grade teacher at Thomas Metcalf School, is one of 10 recipients of the 2008 Golden Apple Award in the 18-county Central Illinois Region. The final 10 were picked after a blind three step process was completed. The process began with 600 nominations.

"I just thought you were more visitors," Maubach said upon receiving the basket of apples. "This is not something I earned on my own. I could not have done it without the support through the years. I've learned from everyone."

Maubach's teacher-instincts came out immediately after the award presentation. Thinking of her students first, she considered distributing the apples as a snack.

The same instinct was central when Maubach considered what she would do while on the semester-long sabbatical that the Golden Apple Award affords her.

"I haven't let my mind go that far yet," Maubach said. "How can I leave [my class]?"

As a product of her kids-first attitude, Maubach, a 2007 National Board Certified teacher, was recognized for being an outstanding example of a teacher that has made a major impact on teaching profession through her efforts in the classroom.

"Maubach was an absolute exemplar of that kind of teacher," said Debra Erikson, director of the Golden Apple Central Illinois Program, a 1994 Golden Apple Award winner, and award presenter.

In 2005 Maubach was a Teacher of the Year finalist. She is now one of the first to be inducted into the first Academy of Fellows Golden Apple Winners in the Central Illinois Region.

The formal presentation of the Golden Apple and gala will be held on June 7, 2008, at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts in Champaign.

In addition to the honor and public recognition, Golden Apple Award winners enjoy a laptop computer, a cash award, and induction into the Golden Apple Academy of Educators. A sabbatical is typically awarded to the Golden Apple winners during the second semester of the school year after they win the award. Teachers usually study whatever they are interested in, travel, and speak to others in the profession.

This is the first year that the Central Illinois Region will be recognizing outstanding teachers with the award. The Chicago region has been recognizing teachers since 1985.

The award principally recognizes Maubach but it is a great honor for her school as well.

"It's a great thrill for a teacher at a Lab School to win an award of this stature," Robert Dean, superintendent of the Illinois State University Laboratory Schools said. "She's a wonderful teacher - a wonderful human being who cares deeply about the profession, and deeply about the students."