John Rubio Awarded Teacher of the Year by the Encinitas Chamber of Commerce

Encinitas, CA, June 26, 2014 --(PR.com)-- The Grauer School’s senior graduation ceremony features personalized introductions written by faculty members. John Rubio, who was honored at the Encinitas Chamber of Commerce’s Salute to Education Event as this year’s Teacher of the Year for The Grauer School, is routinely one of the most sought after introduction writers among the faculty.

“Over 60% of our seniors requested that John introduce them at this year’s graduation. This came as no surprise to the members of The Grauer School’s Leadership Team, who selected John as our Teacher of the Year Honoree. John truly has a way with words,” stated Principal Dana Abplanalp-Diggs.

According to Rubio, “writing has always been his primary passion,” and The Grauer School has offered him numerous opportunities to incorporate his writing into the school culture. Rubio’s love for his craft is evident in the classes he teaches: over the past eleven years, Rubio has taught English, Creative Writing, Speech and Debate, and Film Studies at The Grauer School. He is also a published poet who has garnered standing ovations for his beat poetry performances at The Grauer School’s Tolerance Day event, Asian Lunar New Year Celebration, and at numerous poetry slams around the country while leading Grauer School Expeditions.

Rubio graduated from the Johnston Center at the University of Redlands with a degree in the Philosophy of Education. John originally became a teacher at a public school before obtaining a job at The Grauer School. Rubio credits his seventh grade Language Arts teacher for igniting in him the idea of what education can and should be. When Rubio turned in a poem instead of the required essay, expected a C at best, and received an A++, it cemented his first steps as a poet and future educator.

“It wasn’t until I came to The Grauer School that I came to appreciate the art of teaching. Most schools, whether public or private, are offering a service, and that is all; they offer instruction. The Grauer School provides the same service, but we are also innovators of that service. We don’t merely offer teaching, we reinvent the art on a continual scale, ever-updating and reevaluating the needs of our students in a constant grasp for improvement. We are never static, but acclimated to the spirit of evolution. We move with the generations and in doing so, practice tolerance and freedom—tolerance of the ever-arriving new, and the freedom to embrace it,” commented Rubio.

The Encinitas Chamber of Commerce (ECC) recognized Rubio and other top educators on Tuesday, June 3rd at its annual Salute to Education Event. Principal Dana Abplanalp-Diggs attended the event to personally hand John his award in recognition of his tireless efforts and work that he invests in his classes.