Natomas Unified’s new Teacher of the Year is a math instructor, but to anyone who knows Derek Dykstra, his work in the classroom at Inderkum High School is only a small part of what makes him special.
Dykstra was surprised by Superintendent Chris Evans today with news of his selection as this year’s NUSD Teacher of the Year.
“He goes above and beyond to help the whole campus community – kids, parents, and other staff members,” Principal Dan Motherspaw said.
Teaching is a second career for Dykstra, who spent 20 years in the mortgage lending industry before coming to Inderkum several years ago.
Dykstra said he gets a thrill from working with students, watching them grow to master upper-level math courses that aren’t popular with everyone, such as Trigonometry, Calculus and Pre-Calculus. He strives to make math interesting and fun, he said.
Asked to describe himself, Dykstra said he’s energetic, he tries to keep a positive attitude in all situations, he’s willing to do whatever it takes to get a job done, and he enjoys being around other people and helping out.
In nominating Dykstra for Teacher of the Year, two peers cited his multiple contributions to Inderkum in ways ranging from overseeing the Link Crew to serving as public address announcer at Tiger football games.
“Derek is involved in an unbelievable amount of activities and programs on campus,” read one nomination, which then elaborated on the extent of Dykstra’s campus involvement:
1) Oversees Link Crew in which junior and senior Tigers help to orient and mentor freshmen students
2) Serves as assistant coach of boys varsity Soccer
3) Assists in a new-teacher induction program
4) Co-chairs Inderkum’s Math Department
5) Announces Tiger football games
6) Teaches the highest levels of math which require tons of prep and the building of IB summative assessments and their rubrics, which he does on his own.
“Somehow with all of this going on he still is always prepared for class and is doing new and innovative things in his classroom to enhance student learning,” the nomination added.
Another nomination characterized Dykstra as inspirational not only to students, but to staff as well. “His dedication to this campus, its student body and co-workers is without compare,” it said.
As NUSD Teacher of the Year, Dykstra’s name will be sent to the Sacramento County Office of Education for consideration as the top teacher countywide.
