Working...
Tony Winefield named District Teacher of the Year
Mr. Anthony “Tony” Winefield has been teaching at Sperry for the past six of his 30 years in teaching. He has taught middle school geography and American history as well as high school American history, Oklahoma history, government, Advanced Placement U.S. Government, journalism, yearbook, and desktop publishing. He has also coached a variety of middle school and high school athletic teams. With such a range of teaching experience, it is not surprising that he was recently honored with the title of 2020-2021 Sperry District Teacher of the Year.
Mr. Winefield was a sports writer for five years before going back to college to add courses for a teaching degree. Mr. Winefield noted in his first years of teaching, his principal helped him “see the impact a good teacher can have on students, and by extension, their futures.” This obviously influence Mr. Winefield greatly, because in the past 30 years he has influenced the future of a great many students. “Sometimes,” Mr. Winefield said, “out of the blue, I’ll get an email, a text, or even a visit from a past student who thanks me for something I did or said that affected them in a positive way.” Mr. Winefield noted that his teaching strategy may seem awkward at times, but he believes he must “communicate with students on their level and meet them where they are, academically and otherwise. I have to get through to each of them, and it might take different strategies to do so.”
One of Mr. Winefield’s students commented, “He doesn’t make our work easy, but he makes it interesting. We have to think about what is the right answer and can’t just look it up in the book. That’s hard sometimes, but I think we learn more that way.”
Sperry High School Principal Randy Shaw noted, Mr. Winefield is the kind of teacher any principal would be glad to have in his building. He works hard with his students and cares about what they are supposed to learn as well as about them as individuals. He’s a seasoned teacher who is still eager to expand his teaching skills so he can continue to meet the diverse needs of his students.”
“Mr. Winefield is a great addition to the Sperry instructional staff,” Superintendent Dr. Brian Beagles said. “He teaches with the dynamic drive to inspire student learning that is the touchstone we expect of our best teachers.”
As the District Teacher of the Year, Mr. Winefield will complete the application for the Oklahoma State Teacher of the Year. Teachers of the Year from each district are eligible for the honor which will be decided in the fall of next school year.