Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 5, 1990 TAG: 9004040930
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
But Gabay declared herself op Gabay timistic about U.S. education Wednesday as President Bush and his wife, Barbara, honored her at the White House.
"The kind of people Jan represents are ambassadors to the most powerful province mankind might command - that great undiscovered realm right under your hat," Bush told a crowd that included 11 members of Gabay's family.
"For almost 40 years, the Teacher of the Year program has singled out the few, really because they represent the many," he said. Fighting back tears, the petite high school English teacher accepted the award from Bush and a kiss from first lady Barbara Bush.
Earlier, in an interview, she said, "It is very easy to become disillusioned from all that we hear outside of education itself. It feels like often times we are not supported. . . . "
"That disappoints me and personally even affected me at one point where I really stopped to reconsider whether I was in the right profession," she said.
Gabay said she is happy she was able to shake the doubts.
"I'm very optimistic about education," she said. "I cannot be a teacher without being an optimist. . . . "
Gaining respect is no problem for her personally, according to one student at San Diego's Junipero Serra High School where she has taught 10th and 12th grade English the past 10 years.
Steve Nguyen, 17, said Wednesday, "I am Vietnamese and in my culture, the teacher has absolute power and respect. Here, teachers don't get much respect. But Ms. Gabay gets it from her students. No one ditches this class."
Gabay, 39, was born in Hawaii and came to San Diego as a child. A graduate of San Diego State University, she has been a teacher for 17 years.
by CNB