Perseverance and Passion Help CEIS Alumna Earn California Teacher of the Year Honors
Decades before Heather Povinelli became one of California’s top educators, she nearly gave up on her dream of becoming a teacher.
Povinelli (’22, doctorate in education), who has dwarfism, loved being in the classroom and enrolled at Vanguard University in Costa Mesa with her sights set on pursuing an education degree. However, she switched her major to sociology after an incident on a playground.
I was observing a kindergarten class as a part of my observation hours for my teaching program. During recess, a student came up and grabbed me hard. I didn’t know what to do, and it scared me,” Povinelli recalled. “I drove back to campus and changed my major. My mother cried because she always wanted me to be a teacher.”
After college, Povinelli moved to Minnesota with her now-husband, actor Mark Povinelli, who she met as a teen through an organization called Little People of America (LPA). He also has dwarfism, as do their two adult children.
She pursued her master’s degree at the University of Minnesota and lived there for four years before returning to California. The Santa Barbara native worked as an office manager and a temp for a few years, but the desire to be a teacher stayed with her.
In Pursuit of Her Dream
“I have a really good friend who is a kindergarten teacher and has dwarfism,” Povinelli said. “I observed her class, and I saw myself reflected in her, which gave me the confidence to know I could teach."
She pursued her teaching credential at the Arcadia campus of Point Loma Nazarene University. Because of a teacher shortage, she was hired on an emergency credential right after entering the program.
Povinelli, a Pasadena resident, has spent her 25-year teaching career at Bradoaks Elementary Science Academy in Monrovia. She has taught kindergarten, first and second grades, and spent two years as a reading interventionist. Now, Povinelli is one of five to be awarded 2026 California Teacher of the Year.
When she started, she taught kindergarten. At that time, the day was split between a teacher to lead the morning session and another to teach in the afternoon. As a new teacher, the split-day arrangement gave her the opportunity to learn from her partner and helped build her confidence, she said.
Her favorite part about teaching is connecting with her students. Povinelli recalled a recent conversation with a student she could tell was going through a tough time. She pulled the student aside and asked her what was going on and found out her family was experiencing some difficulties. They were able to talk through things.
“I enjoy getting to know my students and letting them know they are seen,” she said. “So many times, it can seem like I am on a treadmill. It’s important to stop and make time for those connections.”
Freedom to Create
On a recent day, students sat in a circle looking intently at Povinelli while she held up a beaded necklace. She passed the beads around to the students and had them share when, outside of class, they felt like a mathematician.
“I see math in the beads,” Povinelli said, asking the students where in the beads they see math.
Counting, shapes, pattern recognition and using the beaded necklace to measure something were among the responses she received.
During another activity, the students crouched down and leapt like frogs when they did something on Povinelli’s list.
“Frog jump if you read a fiction book,” Povinelli said. “Frog jump if you gave someone a compliment.”
Povinelli values the creativity that teaching offers. No two days are the same, she said.
Her students might be building projects with Legos, writing about their pets, reading books or talking about how to communicate with each other in a respectful way.
Most have assigned jobs. There’s a phone operator, a few librarians, some tech specialists and a botanist to water the vertical garden. They spend time learning the core subjects, but there also is time for relishing in their authentic selves and getting to know their classmates.
“Even with structure, I love a time for freedom within that structure,” she said. I like to think of my classroom like a garden, a garden that is bordered with boxwoods and full of wildflowers inside, so it is all contained. I would like for my classroom to feel like that.”
How Experiences Inform Teaching
The physical demands of teaching can be hard on the body, especially for people with dwarfism. In 2016-17, Povinelli had several back surgeries and served as a reading interventionist for two years. The pandemic happened after that, which enabled her to work remotely and gave her time to recover her strength before returning to the classroom.
Around that time, College of Education and Integrative Studies Professor Betty Alford, director of CPP’s educational leadership doctorate program, visited the Monrovia Unified School District to talk to teachers. Povinelli thought it would be cool to have a doctorate, and it would give her options to pursue other jobs in education that weren’t so physically taxing if she needed to change roles.
“The program was great for me,” Povinelli said. “It was rooted in social justice, and it gave me an opportunity to reflect on my teaching.”
Alford had Povinelli in a few of her classes at CPP and described her as an excellent student and scholar, a great collaborator with her peers and a wonderful person. She also models as someone who has a positive attitude despite the challenges she might face, Alford said.
“We are very pleased her talent has been recognized in this way. To be selected as one of five Teachers of the Year for the whole state of California is an enormous compliment and a testament to the great work she is doing,” Alford said. “Heather is always learning, always growing, engaging students and using strategies that help them grow and learn. She is very present with her students, and she gives them her all.”
Povinelli wrote her dissertation on other teachers with dwarfism. She found seven interview subjects across the country.
“I did my research through an asset lens,” she said. "One of the things I found interesting is that the teachers I interviewed said they felt like being eye level with their students really helped them connect. Also, they know what it is like to be teased and mocked in life, so they bring that need for empathy and space in the classroom where we listen to one another and learn from our mistakes.”
Teachers with disabilities also bring perseverance and problem-solving skills into the classroom as well, she added.
A Place to Thrive
Povinelli has brought all of that and more to her own classroom. Her passion, dedication and determination have helped her thrive, along with the supportive atmosphere the administrators, fellow teachers, parents and students have provided over the years.
It hasn’t always been easy. She said she used to get a nervous feeling on the first day of school, anticipating how parents and students might react when they see her, but now she finds ways to break the ice.
“When my own children went here, I used to go into the kindergarten classroom and speak to students. I wanted to be a buffer for them,” Povinelli said. “As soon as I said I had cats, that’s all the students wanted to talk about.”
She is not much for the spotlight but has been getting her fair share of it lately after earning district, county and state teacher of the year honors.
“In the beginning, I was overwhelmed, and I felt like Teflon,” Povinelli said of the recognition. “But then a few people throughout these months have shared their wisdom and said, ‘Heather, enjoy this. In education, it doesn’t happen often.’ I feel honored. I know after feeling this good feeling, all teachers need an opportunity to feel appreciated.