Shira Kaplan-Buller
Kahoa Elementary
1st Grade Teacher
It is an honor to nominate Mrs. Kaplan-Buller for Kahoa’s Inspire Award. Mrs. K-B has gone above and beyond in her role as a teacher for many years. She brings out the best in her students, not just in teaching them the skills needed to be a lifelong learner, but also skills of strong character.
Mrs. K-B is loved by students, families and colleagues. Students love her because she is kind, loving, and fun. She looks for student strengths and maximizes those to help them overcome their struggles and believe in themselves.
At the same time, Mrs. K-B has high academic expectations for her students and believes all students are capable. She also holds her students accountable for how their actions can impact their own learning and the learning of other students in their classroom. Her approach is always one of love and patience, wrapped with bundles of joy. Mrs. K-B is a teacher who wants what is best for her students whether it be academically, socially or emotionally.
This year Mrs. K-B recognized that students in her classroom needed some accommodations to support their learning. She researched flexible seating options that could help her students be more engaged during whole group instruction. Through this process she collaborated with our occupational therapist, gave her students a voice to share which flexible seating helped them be the most successful and then wrote a fund-a-need to bring this project to life.
Finally, Mrs. K-B is an inspiration among our staff. One colleague wrote, “In all my years on this planet I've never met a more devoted, disciplined and caring teacher/person than Mrs. K-B! The commitment she demonstrates on a minute by minute basis is incredible. The emphasis Shira places on respecting each other in her teaching and personal life is absolutely contagious and such an asset to our school. The amount of hours she puts in to make sure things get done and done right is truly remarkable. I know her students and I both consider Shira a bona fide hero! As an educator, colleague or friend, she's always there for you and has your back. I'd follow her into battle any day! A teacher/person/life warrior, she is the perfect choice for this award!
Another colleague wrote, “Shira always makes me feel cared about and welcome at Kahoa. She always has a smile on her face and asks me how I'm doing when we see each other in the halls even though we aren't on the same grade level team. She reached out to support me when I was going through a hard time and made me feel cared about as a person, and continued to check up on me after that. I appreciate that she is constantly doing her best and supporting others in the process by bringing positivity and being sincere and caring to her coworkers. She inspires me to do the same and support my coworkers in any way I can and make their days brighter!”
The many examples mentioned show how passionate Mrs. K-B is for students and also displays great leadership for her colleagues. Mrs. K-B’s positive attitude and willingness to support the Kahoa community has a significant impact on the positive climate and culture at Kahoa. Thank you Mrs. K-B for inspiring not only the Kahoa students but also the adults to always be thinking about how we can be a better version of ourselves.
