SACRAMENTO, Calif — ABC10, in partnership with SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union and Sacramento State’s College of Education, is proud to announce Kirsten Tahara as Teacher of the Month for December 2024. Tahara is a first grade teacher at Ethel I. Baker Elementary School. In place for 20+ years, Teacher of the Month is one of ABC10’s signature community enrichment initiatives designed to highlight local teachers making a difference in the lives of their students and families.
Tahara has been teaching within the Sacramento City Unified School District for 29 years. Before her teaching career, Tahara attended Sacramento State, where she received her bachelor's degree and a multiple subject teaching credential.
"Teachers are role models and mentors who educate and shape the lives of children who will one day be our future leaders, so it’s important to teach with integrity, purpose, patience and kindness," Tahara said. "It still amazes me to watch students go from not knowing the alphabet, how to hold a pencil or speak English to being able to read, write, and speak English – all within a school year! Each child is different and learns differently, so from the tiniest of steps to the greatest leaps, every bit of progress made is a success."
As part of being recognized as Teacher of the Month, Tahara will receive $1,000 from SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union and will be eligible for the title of ABC10’s Esquire IMAX Teacher of the Year – that includes a $5,000 prize – which will be announced at a special awards ceremony in 2025.
ABC10’s Teacher of the Month program was showcased during the 2023 Sacramento Business Journal's Corporate Citizenship Awards in which the station received an award in the Corporate Champion for Education category.
To nominate a local teacher in the greater Sacramento/Stockton/Modesto area for an upcoming Teacher of the Month, please visit abc10.com/teacherofthemonth