Tucson Values Teachers (TVT) presented the March Teacher Excellence Award to Jose Noperi Jr., a math teacher at Valencia Middle School in Tucson Unified School District. Mr. Noperi has taught at Valencia for 12 years; currently, he teaches 6th grade math and 6th grade accelerated math. In addition, Mr. Noperi coaches the girls’ soccer team.
Mr. Noperi was nominated for the award by his colleague, Briana Gomez. In her nominating statement, Ms. Gomez wrote, “Mr. Noperi has been at the school for 12 years and, even though I have only been his colleague for seven of them, watching his interactions with students who have come back to our school (or who work at businesses in our area) has confirmed to me that he is a staple of our school community. His ability to bond with the children using humor and tough love helps their social interactions and helps him emphasize the importance of accountability, good work ethic and critical thinking skills.
“Not only is he an incredible math teacher (who has helped our math scores for sixth grade outperform our 7th/8th grade scores), he has also been our girls’ soccer coach for the past seven years and has made tremendous strides towards improving their self-confidence, resiliency, and team building skills. I think that, out of everyone at our school who deserves recognition for the work and dedication we give to our students, it’s his time to shine.”
