Alumni Spotlight on Theodosia Ballard

Theodosia Ballard has the highest expectations for her students because her teachers never expected much from her.

“The students that I have the privilege of serving are often labeled as ‘low-achieving,’” said the veteran educator. “The truth is my students are under-achieving. They have the ability to do well, yet don’t believe they can.”

Ballard is determined to nurture achievers in her fifth-grade classroom at Walter J. Porter Elementary School in the San Diego Unified School District. Her own struggle to achieve was hindered by those who told her she did not have the ability to get into college, let alone graduate.

But Ballard proved them wrong, earning a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies and a master’s in curriculum and instruction from SDSU, where her major influences include professors Shirley Weber, Nadine Bezuk, Ricardo Cornejo and Carla Mathison. She is currently enrolled in the joint USD/SDSU Ph.D. program.

Now, Ballard’s exceptional talents have earned her the highest recognition in her field – she is San Diego Unified’s Teacher of the Year (elementary level) for 2008-2009.

“I consider it a blessing and an honor to represent an elite profession,” Ballard said of the award. “It is a great feeling to know that the hard work we do with students each and every day does not go unnoticed.”