School officials pointed to Sbardellati's dedication to her profession, students and their families as reasons why she was picked for the honor.

Sbardellati "not only understands computers, but she is able to enhance her teaching with their use," said Bay Laurel Principal Karen Hansen.

"For me," Hansen said, "what makes her an outstanding candidate is that she is such a teacher, not just of children, but for her colleagues as well. She is always willing to share with others what she has learned, and indeed looks for ways that what she has learned can be used at many grade levels and many curricula areas."

Sbardellati was nominated for the honor by former Bay Laurel Principal Shelia Grady and members of the district cabinet.

Sbardellati, 56, is a student advocate who believes in developmentally appropriate education.

"Establishing a strong connection with each and every one of my students is very important to me, but it is also necessary if I am going to make each year the best year of their lives," she said. "I strive to make a difference, to have a lasting impact on the life of each child in my classroom by creating an inclusive classroom environment that inspires learning while modeling good morals and ethical values."

Cookiecutter teaching methods are not Sbardellati's style, according to her colleagues. She may stick to the standards but she has a knack for engaging students on many levels so that learning is relevant, rigorous and engaging.

"Understanding the diversity of student learning styles, I differentiate instruction based on student needs," Sbardellati said. "Children are required to take responsibility for their behavior. Motivation is intrinsic, rather than extrinsic. Learning is always a dynamic pursuit."

Sbardellati said her nuanced teaching methods were born of a desire to save the world.

"From all the chaos of the late '60s and early '70s, I idealistically decided I was going to literally save the world . . . one child at a time," she said. "I would simply love them and teach them to live peacefully in our world."

Sbar dellati launched her ambitious teaching program with 4year-olds. She worked in a state preschool/Head Start program in Fullerton and was hired as a "perceptual motor development specialist," a job that enabled her to help children synchronize their brain and body functions.

Having started out her teaching career serving special needs children from poor, often solely Spanishspeaking homes, Sbardellati learned to speak fluent Spanish and became a bilingual teacher.

Her classroom was chosen as one of 10 in the nation to implement the "Precise Early Education of Children with Handicaps" model. Special needs preschool students reaped the benefits of such intensive training, she said.

Sbardellati worked in the Burbank school system for eight years before coming to Calabasas to teach. It was "a world apart from the one I had just left," she said. "My eyes were opened to a different culture with new and different kinds of challenges. It also brought the opportunity for growth in areas unfamiliar to me such as school reconstruction and technology."

She also worked at a new school in the Las Virgenes district that offered multi-age classrooms and allowed students to stay with their teacher for two years. She credited her principal, Martha Mutz, as the person who influenced her to delve into technology.

"I quickly realized that the use of technology had the potential to transform instructional practices in the classroom, and I set out to integrate technology with best practices strategies supported by current research on brain development," Sbardellati said. Technology allowed her to introduce project-based learning, provide for gender differences in learning and implement strategies to help students who were struggling.

Sbardellati said one of her greatest strengths as a teacher is the connection she has with all her students. "My students feel deeply valued as contributing members of our classroom community," she said.

"Looking back over the past 35 years, I'm not sure I saved every child who ever passed through the doors of my classroom, but I certainly have loved each of them," Sbardellati said. "I believe I have learned at least as much from these incredible little ones as they have learned from me."