Golden Apple awards go to co-teachers at Niles West High School in Skokie
Nearly 100 students, administrators, teachers and family members clapped, chanted and celebrated Niles West High School English co-teachers Dillin Randolph and Elizabeth Dribin-Khoshaba in a surprise ceremony at Niles West on Monday. The two were named the winners of the Golden Apple award, given by a non-profit organization to celebrate and retain early career educators.
Randolph and Dribin-Khoshaba also made history in being the organization's first winners to be co-teachers, according to Golden Apple President Alan Mather. In addition to winners being recognized as a top 10 early career teacher in the state, the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching prize includes a $5,000 check and a free spring sabbatical at Northwestern University, where Randolph and Dribin-Khoshaba can take a class in any subject they wish.
'The reason why we're up here is because of the people here, especially you guys right here,' Randolph said, motioning to students in his class. 'We believe in and see you guys here… and you believe in us,' he said.
'The brightest part of my day is going into the classroom and getting to do what I feel like I was destined to do,' said Dribin-Khoshaba.
'I have my family to thank for that. My dad, my mom are here, and my sister and my sister-in-law (are here), and we're all in education. We call it our family business,' she added.
'Golden Apple has a really special part of my heart. I was a Golden Apple scholar when I graduated from high school, and I would always look to the Golden Apple teachers in my life and as a part of the foundation as just superheroes,' Dribin-Khoshaba said.
Dribin-Khoshaba and Randolph nominated one another for the award and were named finalists for it in February.
'I think it just is proof of our admiration for one another and the fact that we both made it all the way here, which was a long journey, that you've really met your people,' Dribin-Khoshaba said. 'The only thing more special than winning this award, is to win it with you,' she said motioning to Randolph.
The process of how Golden Apple selects its winners for the Award for Excellence in Teaching starts at the nomination level, where a teacher can nominate another teacher for the award, according to Mather. The applications are then reviewed by Golden Apple and a short list of 60 teachers is created. The list is then shortened to 30 finalists.
Golden Apple then interviews administrators, colleagues, community members, students and parents of the 30 finalists. Of those 30 finalists, 10 are selected winners, with this year being the exception in two co-teachers being award recipients, making 11 total winners.
'Eighty percent of our scholars stay in teaching for at least five years; that's well beyond national averages,' Mather said.
Leticia Valadez, a former Golden Apple award recipient who interviewed Randolph and students in his class, said the class she sat in on allowed her to see what made his teaching style different from other teachers.
'I think that what's so special about their (Randolph and Dribin-Khoshaba's) teaching style is the way that they connect to students. (They are) bringing something that's familiar to them, and allowing them to dive deep and do deep analysis of (a) character and their motives and how they mature,' she said, in regards to how the class does readings.
'What stood out to me was the way that they empower the students to take the lead in the classroom,' said Julianne Collier, a former Golden Apple award recipient who also saw Randolph and Dribin-Khoshaba co-teach. 'They (the co-teachers) were actually standing off to the side as a supportive role — while the students took the lead and they ran the classroom.'
Former Golden Apple award recipient Fiona Johnson reviewed Dribin-Khoshaba's teaching style in the interview process.
'In other co-teaching situations that I've been in you can tell who the lead teacher is and who's the supporting teacher,' Johnson said. 'It was seamless, the way they interact with each other… it was clear that everything was a co-decision.'
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