46°
Rooney was nominated by parent Timothy Bavosa, who wrote a moving letter to "Live With Kelly and Michael" about the work she has done with his son, Timothy. The letter included a poem Timothy worked on with his parents in paying tribute to his teacher. He is now 7 and was diagnosed with autism at the age of 18 months
Bavosa wrote about his son's previous struggles at school, with episodes of outbursts or shutting down. But Rooney has made all the difference, he said.
"To put into words what Mrs. Rooney has done for our son, Timothy is a next to impossible task," Bavosa wrote. After going to three schools in three years, Timothy ended up at Ward. "In conversations with numerous other parents throughout our city, we heard nothing but praise and kind words about Mrs. Rooney; countless times hearing, 'She is the best!'"
Timothy is a loving child and always liked his teachers, Bavosa said. "However, to see our son come home from his first day with Mrs. Rooney and tell us: 'I love school and Mrs. Rooney is awesome!' was something that literally brought my wife and me to tears," he wrote.
Bavosa praised Rooney's work with Timothy -- how she sent daily notes explaining how she helped Timothy with breathing and relaxation exercises, which ultimately helped him learn to control himself from having outbursts.
"From Day 1, Mrs. Rooney has been an absolute angel which we know was not just brought into Timothy's life by chance," he wrote.
Timothy has come far, as a child who only years ago wouldn't utter a word but now is reading, writing and performing at levels that have allowed him to start participating in several mainstream classrooms and not have a single outburst this school year, Bavosa said. The goal is for him to become completely mainstream with no special needs classes, his father said.
"Mrs. Rooney is a legend in the city of New Rochelle and a hero to our family and especially Timothy," he wrote. "Mrs. Rooney is the most shining example of what we believe teachers should be and what we pray our children are exposed to when entering a classroom."
She is among a dozen finalists on the show's contest. To vote for Rooney, visit the Top Teacher Week page on the show's website. You can vote once a day for your five favorites through April 15 at 5 p.m. You can read the full text of the letter on the website.
Click here to follow Daily Voice New Rochelle and receive free news updates.
