Washington science teacher named 2013 Teacher of the Year

A science teacher from Eastern Washington has been named the National Teacher of the Year for 2013.

When Jeffrey Charbonneau accepted the award for Washington’s Teacher of the year, he said he lived in paradise. “I really do. And one of the biggest reasons for that, who I always need to thank, is my students.”

Charbonneau is credited with creating a series of challenging STEM classes in small, rural Zillah High School. Thanks to his focus on science, technology, engineering and math, students have been able to earn college credit in four of his high school courses this year.

“I am not the best teacher in the world, but I listen to my students and that’s what it is about,” Charbonneau said.

Charbonneau gave CBS This Morning a little insight into what he thinks makes a good teacher.

“A great teacher is somebody who thinks of content second, the subject matter is secondary, it’s the relationships with students that come first,” said Charbonneau. “If you can make a positive relationship with a student, you can teach them darn near anything.”

Good teachers can have a big impact, said Charbonneau who adds he’s definitely not the only one.

“I think there are a lot of great teachers out there. I think that we’re a nation of really high-quality educators who are doing a phenomenal job. One teacher can make a difference, but a whole lot of good teachers can make a tremendous difference.”

He serves not just students in his own district, but kids across the state. Charbonneau created a robotics challenge several years ago in which 850 students from 43 Washington school districts have taken part.