Connie White is a parent whose child requires a teacher with a big heart and special teaching skills. Her child is a special needs student - who is not easy to handle and often frustrating to teach. White's son attends the severely handicapped class at Victory Elementary and according to her “I can honestly say that it is solely because of Mrs. Tuesdale-Barns that my son has come as far as he has. At other institutions, several different specialists told me that my son was un-teachable due to his attitude and frequent outbursts of anger and aggression. These other institutions would typically place my son in the back of the classroom and forget about him. Needless to say, my son was miserable and hated going to school.”

White feels truly blessed to have had the good fortune of Mrs. Tuesdale-Barns as the elementary teacher for the severely handicapped class. She doesn't know how Tuesdale-Barns does it as her class size is from 12-20 students, with each student having their individual disability and behavioral issues.

What White does know is that through the efforts of Tuesdale-Barns, “my son has made tremendous progress, and for the first time I have hope that he will be able to read and master math skills. Mrs. Tuesdale-Barns is patient, kind and gives every child the necessary special attention they need to draw out how to best motivate and stimulate each child's learning abilities.”

In today's school environment, often teaching regular students is challenging, so one can only imagine the additional challenges to those teachers of special education. White says that “Working with my son can be frustrating, he doesn't make things easy but Mrs. Tuesdale-Barns doesn't allow him to get away with things and never gives up on him. She pushes my son to reach and learn past his disabilities. I see my son swell with pride when he can count or read a word or two. My son has greater self-esteem, and self-confidence, now, which has helped him mature and control anger outburst. My son has a whole new attitude towards school and himself - and I have Mrs. Tuesdale-Barns to thank.”

“Due to Mrs. Tuesdale-Barns tireless and unbinding dedication to special children, she has made an impact into their lives for the better. She has the ability to touch and figure out how to bring children with disabilities to learn.”

These unsung heroes - TEACHERS are vast in many communities! Do you know of a teacher who is teaching from the heart - who goes above and beyond their 'job description' - who is touching the heart of his/her students and parents? If so, you still have time to nominate them for a Touching the Heart Award to be held on July 17, 2004 at the Hyatt Regency Los Angeles.

BRIGHT START EDUCATIONAL CONSULTANTS of Chino, California is a national company who trains parents on literacy, personal wellness, effective parenting and developing success in their children - Bright Start Educational Consultants announces the launch of its' 1st Annual TOUCHING THE HEART AWARDS SHOW to be held on July 17, 2004 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.

Bright Start will spotlight TEACHERS at their 1st Annual National Touching the Heart Awards, which recognize and spotlights teachers who are making a difference in today's community. They have the spirit and passion of what teaching is about!!!

According to Bright Start's President, Gary Sonora Surdam: “From the very beginning of our company, we felt that there is more to being a teacher than just teaching material. It takes a teacher that can touch the hearts of the children to make a difference. A teacher that can touch a child's heart can change the world. When your life has been touched, you are never the same.”

Anyone can nominate a teacher. Application form includes a 1,500 words-or-less essay about the person nominated. Entries are broken into three (3) categories - teachers in elementary, middle school and high school (3 finalists in each category). Nomination deadline is Tuesday, April 6 2004 at 5:00 p.m. via U.S. mail or email. Finalists will be notified on May 7th. Two special awards will also be given to teachers - one is selected through submissions by current or former students and the other is a special Legacy Award selected by Bright Start.