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Stanley W. Murphy, 2005 California Teacher
of the Year
Stanley W. Murphy is a social studies teacher (grades 9-12) at San Diego High School in San Diego, California. Murphy, who has taught a total of 34 years, has been an educator at San Diego High, a school of 2,850 students, for 28 years. “It is crucial in a democratic society that history and civic education teach students the habits of the mind that promote judgment, which all citizens need to perpetuate and revise American institutions,” Murphy says. “Teaching democratic principles is challenging because they often clash and are continually evolving. I expect that all of my students will think critically about controversial issues, and demonstrate the proficiency to write and verbally express their opinions on such issues. My goal is to help students understand that democracy is a journey, not a destination. Each of them has an important role to play in shaping the world. Along with that, they must deal with the difficult understanding that, like the momentous 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education decision will not solve America's education problems today; there are no permanent solutions to democratic problems.”
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