Thankful for good

About five years ago, Niccole Bisceglia hated her job.

She worked for an international consulting firm preparing testimony for expert witnesses.

“I knew I wasn’t happy,” she recalled. Bisceglia sought change, and enrolled in the company’s Junior Achievers program, visiting classrooms and teaching five lessons a week. She had never thought of teaching before, but that year in the program changed her life.

She left the firm, went back to school and got her teaching degree.

“It was totally jumping off a cliff, changing my career. But I’m glad I did it,” Bisceglia said. “No risk, no reward.”

She risked, and on Tuesday Bisceglia was rewarded. Newport-Mesa’s teachers’ union named her the district’s Elementary School Teacher of the Year. Bisceglia has been a third-grade teacher at Newport Heights Elementary School for four years.

“I’ve had small confirmations along the way, but this definitely tells me that I’m doing what I’m supposed to do,” she said.

Along with Bisceglia, district officials surprised TeWinkle Middle School eighth-grade U.S. history teacher Jackie Washington with the honor Tuesday.

“I was completely shocked, I got a little teary. I still can’t believe it,” Washington said.

Administrators don’t have a hard time believing it. Each connects with students and shares a passion for teaching.

“Kids don’t care about how much you know until they know that you care,” TeWinkle Principal Kirk Bauermeister said.

Every year district educators at each school nominate their own to the Newport-Mesa Federation of Teachers for their school’s teacher of the year award. From there, the 10 highest-scoring applicants qualify for the district’s Teacher of the Year award. One is chosen from the elementary school level, and one from the middle or high school level.

Both women’s students said they were the right choice.

“[Washington] is my favorite teacher. She’ll do notes one day and then ‘Jeopardy’ the next day for a test,” said eighth-grader Molly McFarland. “She knows what we like to do, she makes learning fun.”

McFarland’s favorite time in class was watching students in “The School of Rock” movie sing the preamble to the Constitution.

But a two-class Jeopardy-like game show competition to prepare for a midterm next week just may top it, she said.

Eight-year-old Carly Sharp said she likes everything about her favorite teacher, Bisceglia.

“Sometimes she’s serious and sometimes she makes you laugh when you’re sad,” she said.

Teachers were selected by a union panel and surprised with the award Tuesday morning. They will be officially honored at a Newport-Mesa banquet dinner Feb. 7.

JOSEPH SERNA may be reached at (714) 966-4619 or at joseph.serna@latimes.com.