Muirlands Middle School history teacher honored by education group

Muirlands Middle School history teacher Mark Heinze has been named the March 2013 Parent Choice Award winner by Up for Ed, a local parent group.

Heinze was honored by the program, which is selected by the UpforEd staff in conjunction with its Educational Advisory Committee. Winners are those the selectors find most compelling and who have positively impacted the lives of their students.

Heinze has been a teacher in San Diego Unified for more than 20 years. He teaches history at Muirlands Middle School in La Jolla; he began his career at Hearst Elementary teaching a third grade seminar. He was District Teacher of the Year in 1986 and County Teacher of the year in 1987.

"Today one boy told me," a classroom volunteer told the selection panel, "'I hear that Mr. Heinze is tougher than the other social studies teachers at our school, but that's OK with me that we have to work harder because it's worth it. I'm going to remember this class my whole life."

In February, Jessica Graham, Kearny SciTech, received the award.

Visit the Up for Ed website for more information.