San Luis Obispo High School special education teacher, William Walters, has been selected as Teacher of the Year for 2016 in the San Luis Coastal Unified School District, the district recently announced.
As a special education teacher Walters is “responsible for the education of students ages 3-22 with severe disabilities and medical needs,” the district’s news release said. San Luis Coastal includes elementary, middle and high schools in Los Osos, Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo and Avila Beach.
Walters was 43 when he sold a landscaping business and became a teacher and taught so-called “medically fragile” students for the district. Walters, now 59, said, “We do many things in my class, but the most important is to give the opportunity for each of my students to access education.”
Walters is part of “Team Joseph,” a running and triathlon team founded by John Cornelius, whose son Joseph is a student in Walters’ class. Afflicted with cerebral palsy and non-verbal and non-ambulatory, Team Joseph is made up of many community members and, together with John and Joseph, they have completed seven marathons including the inaugural SLO Marathon in 2012.
In 2013-14, Team Joseph collaborated with students from the Cal Poly Kinesiology Department and Mechanical Engineering to develop the “Aqua Bullet,” a flotation device that allowed Joe and the team to complete the swim portion of the SLO Triathlon, Joe’s fist triathlon, with the help of his father. Previously, the swim portion had prevented the two from competing in a triathlon. This July’s event will be Team Joseph’s third triathlon.
Walters is active with Project Surf Camp, a non-profit designed to teach surfing to individuals with special needs and to students in foster care. Some 250 children attend these summer camps and Project Surf Camp was profiled on NBC’s Today Show, as one of four finalists out of 800 competing for “Best Non-profit in the Nation,” thorough a program sponsored by Pepsi. Project Surf Camp got a big donation to help with buying equipment.
Walters said this recognition is a tribute to all the parents of his students who have given up what most people consider a normal life to care for their children. Walters said the honor recognizes the hardships of the families he serves.
“When our principal, Mr. Leslie O’Connor says, ‘All the students, all the time,’ I know that this applies to my students as well.”
