El Morro special-ed teacher honored as Laguna’s Teacher of the Year

At first, El Morro Elementary special-education teacher Kim Adams thought a group of school administrators wanted to observe her performance in the classroom when they showed up one day last week.

But then Adams saw them holding balloons and suspected something more was afoot.

“I need to talk to you about a meeting,” Adams recalled Principal Chris Duddy’s words to her. Duddy and other administrators followed Adams into her room and broke the news that she had been chosen Laguna Beach Unified School District Teacher of the Year.

“I didn’t anticipate it,” Adams said. “It was a shock.

“There are so many really awesome teachers that deserve it more than I do.”

Adams, who has taught grades 3 through 5 at the Laguna Beach school since joining in 2004, was nominated for the award by her peers.

“Kim Adams is one of our strongest special-education teachers and a true asset to our district,” Irene White, director of special education and student services, said in a news release. “She is an ultimate professional, always looking to learn and implement various programs that may help students succeed. Her dedication is unparalleled and she is so deserving of this honor.”

Adams devotes extra time to prepare materials for the next day, sometimes staying long after the final bell, the release said. She takes each student’s learning and behavioral needs into consideration in designing lessons.

“I love that she has high expectations for all of her students...,” Duddy said in the release. “Kim is an expert in making the appropriate accommodations to reflect student needs and works hard to ensure her students are learning.”

Adams, the youngest of five siblings, who are all teachers, didn’t plan on entering the teaching profession when she took a part-time job as an instructional assistant for special-education students at Lindero Canyon Middle School in Agoura Hills 17 years ago.

“I fell in love with those kids,” Adams said.

Within a year, Adams had enrolled in a credential program and started teaching special-education students as an emergency substitute when the school had a shortage of instructors. She remained at the school until joining El Morro 12 years ago.

The Orange County Department of Education will honor Adams and other teachers in the county at an awards ceremony Oct. 25 at the Disneyland Hotel, in Anaheim.