DSUSD teacher Allison Cyr named California Teacher of the Year
Allison Cyr, a teacher with the Desert Sands Unified School District, was named a 2021 California Teacher of the Year.
Cyr is a third-grade teacher at Lyndon B. Johnson Elementary School in Indio.
"I cannot think of many people more deserving of this honor than Allison Cyr. Ms. Cyr is the consummate professional, she fosters high expectations, and knows how to build relationships within the school and the LBJ community," said her principal Brad Fisher.
Cyr has been a teacher for nine years now. It's a job she grew up wanting to do. As a kid, Cyr would line up her stuffed animals and create worksheets for her "students" to complete.
She also grew up with vocal chord paralysis and had trouble with reading. Reading aloud was the therapy doctors prescribed to help her chords. She remains committed to the importance of reading aloud to her students and urges everyone to spend time reading to children, no matter their age
In addition, Cyr assigns some projects designed to spread a little joy to those who may need it. Projects include writing get-well cards and sending messages to people all over the United States who are cancer patients and first-responders.
"The beauty of being a teacher is that there is no such thing as an ideal day. As a class, our goal is to always be better than the day before," Cyr said.
Outside of the classroom, was a kidney donor to a colleague. Back in November 2009, News Channel 3's Karen Devine actually covered the story of Cyr, then a 20-year-old college student, donating her kidney to her favorite teacher.
This is just the latest in a set of honors Cyr has received in recognition of her teaching in the past year.
DSUSD named Cyr their 2019-2020 Elementary School Teacher of the Year. In June, she was named Riverside County Teacher of the Year in a surprise zoom meeting with then Riverside County Superintendent of Schools Judy D. White, Ed.D.
Cyr was among four other teachers honored in an announcement made by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond on Wednesday.
"Allison Cyr represents her profession, her colleagues, and the Desert Sands Unified School District as a model educator. I am proud to see her talent, commitment, and compassion recognized through this prestigious award," said DSUSD Superintendent Scott Bailey.
