Lucerne Valley special education teacher Judy Baudoux was honored on October 17 as one of three countywide Teachers of the Year during a recognition event at the San Bernardino County Schools’ Roy C. Hill Education Center in San Bernardino.
Baudoux is joined by Randi Muehlen, a first-grade teacher at Elderberry Elementary School in the Ontario-Montclair School District, and Jaclyn Parslow, a psychology and peer counseling teacher at Los Osos High School in the Chaffey Joint Union High School District as Teachers of the Year. Each of this year’s recipients also were honored by SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union, which is a sponsor of the countywide Teachers of the Year program.
Baudoux, who has 20 years of experience teaching moderate to severe special education students for County Schools at Lucerne Valley middle and high schools, was presented with her award by County Superintendent Ted Alejandre.
Earlier, Rich Frederick, the Desert/Mountain area director for Student Services with County Schools, said Baudoux is a model special education teacher. “(Judy) has used her experience and knowledge to effectively support all students with special needs in her classroom and the Desert/Mountain Region as a whole.”
Baudoux works to establish a family environment in her classroom where her students experience a sense of belonging, along with having high expectations and offering encouragement, according to County Schools.
“A love for learning can only develop if a student feels safe enough to try, fail, try again and eventually succeed while being uplifted through the disappointments and spurred on through the successes,” Baudoux wrote about her teaching philosophy.
Helping students to succeed is a family pursuit as Baudoux’s mother, Nancy Spillman, is a retired culinary arts teacher at Lucerne Valley High School.