2013 - Regional Teacher of the Year - Eric Saueracker

Eric is a National Board Certified Teacher of math and science at Hudson’s Bay High School. Since arriving six years ago, he has dramatically increased interest in advanced math and science. Bay’s AP Physics class was once a zero-hour period with dwindling enrollment. Today, they have a robust enrollment of 90 students — many of whom are on Individualized Education Plans or have had discipline problems in the past. Colleagues and students attribute the success of the program to Eric’s skill at integrating numerous learning styles into his lessons.



Eric is convinced that all students have the ability to rise to a challenge — as demonstrated by the wide variety of students who are successful in his classes. He believes one of the greatest obstacles facing education is our failure to respond to the realities of poverty. At Bay, Eric has worked as a part of the Learning Improvement Team to address this issue through adjusting grading strategies to incorporate more frequent assessments and developing a pyramid of interventions. The results have been significant, and Bay was awarded the Washington Achievement Award for closing the achievement gap last year.



As a colleague, Eric is highly collaborative. He is an advocate for teacher-to-teacher observation and believes he and his colleagues should be held accountable in the same way as their students — they must solve problems together, meet challenges head on and focus on working more effectively, rather than simply working more. His enthusiasm and skill have made him a natural choice for numerous committees. Most recently, he sat on the curriculum advisory panel for the district’s new STEM school.



What students value most about Eric is his investment in them. “Many students ask Mr. Saueracker why he decided to be a teacher, and his answer is always the same: He loves being able to have an impact on future generations,” says student Maddie Bode. “He loves to help students find what they are really good at and help them turn that into a career pathway. I don’t think there is a better answer to that question. A teacher who wants nothing more than to help students succeed, not only while they’re at school, but throughout their lives, is the best teacher anyone could ask for.”