A Pride Academy teacher who plays bagpipes, leads the school musical, and buys instruments for her students with her own money is one of 5 San Diego County educators selected for a Teacher of the Year award — and she never saw it coming.
Robin Larson, a teacher at Pride Academy, which serves students in transitional kindergarten through 8th grade, was surprised with the honor on campus.
"You already knew this, but what makes a good teacher is good students," Larson said.
Larson is hard to miss. In addition to her classroom work, she travels the world and at times uses her own money to bring back instruments for her students to try.
Students say her generosity and passion make a difference.
"She spends her own money on instruments just for us to try them out," Kaija said.
"She lets us do any musical instrument," Kayden said.
When asked for her best advice, Larson kept it simple.
"Just don't quit. It doesn't matter if you fail or when you fail, it matters that you don't quit," Larson said.
Larson is one of 5 teachers across San Diego County being highlighted on consecutive days as part of the Teacher of the Year recognition.
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