Julie McGough in a classroom talking to young children

Photos by Greg Schneider

Julie McGough (’91, M.A. ’94) has three goals for every student who walks through her classroom door — to love reading, to love math and to have strong character.

And though every year she has one or two students who promise to defy her claim that they will all love to read by the end of the year, one by one the reluctant students stop protesting as they begin flipping through the pages of such books as Eragon and The Secret School. As each student eventually sits engrossed in their most recent “Book Club” book, McGough smiles, knowing that, as she predicted, a good book is a powerful teacher.

In September, McGough, a fifth grade teacher at Hodge Elementary School in Azusa, Calif., was honored with a Los Angeles County Teacher of the Year award, becoming one of only 16 teachers in the county to receive the annual honor. Two months later, McGough went on to become one of six finalists for California Teacher of the Year, narrowly missing the honor.

“It’s a very humbling and odd experience to be in the spotlight in this way as a teacher,” McGough said. “I enjoy the work I do in my classroom, and I enjoy encouraging other teachers, but to be honored by my colleagues in this way has been affirming of my calling.”

Julie McGough

McGough’s calling wasn’t always so clear. While studying Christian education at Biola, McGough specifically swore she would never teach fifth grade because it appeared completely exhausting. However, after a few years of teaching in the Azusa Unified School District, McGough was invited to teach fifth grade at Hodge. Now, 20 years after the start of her teaching career, more than 600 students have walked through her classroom door.

“Fifth graders are a lot of fun. They are at that stage in between being a little kid and becoming a young adolescent,” McGough said. “We spend a lot of time talking about what it means to be a learning community and what it looks like to be responsible and to show kindness and respect.”

In circle groups, McGough’s students discuss the friendships found in