L.A. Teacher Wins Top National Honor

A Los Angeles elementary schoolteacher was named the nation’s outstanding teacher of 1992 and won $25,000 during an awards ceremony Sunday at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood.

Hobart Elementary School instructor Rafe Esquith won top honors for his work with gifted fifth- and sixth-graders in the Koreatown area of Los Angeles. Esquith helps the children stage Shakespearean plays and teaches them about classical music, fine literature and algebraic equations. During school breaks, he takes a number of pupils on trips around the nation--at his own expense.

Esquith was one of 36 finalists during the third annual presentation of the Walt Disney Co.-sponsored American Teacher Awards. Twelve were named outstanding teachers in their subject categories. All 36 finalists were asked to pick the top winner by secret ballot from among the 12, Disney spokeswoman Rachel McCallister said.

The 12 top winners received $2,500 each. Esquith, who was honored in the general elementary category, also wins the $25,000 top prize. Disney will donate $10,000 to the Los Angeles Unified School District, as well as $2,500 to Hobart Elementary School to honor Esquith’s achievement.

“If we were voting, we would have picked him, too,” McCallister said. Esquith’s students “are just doing remarkable things and are a credit to his hard work as a teacher. He’s a very passionate man.”