This book is a collection of profiles of top teachers in Ontario (Canada). The profiles were taken from a Toronto newspaper contest to nominate "Teacher of the Year"; more than 10,000 submissions have been made since 1986. The Teacher of the Year Award was begun to reverse the current trend of low public and institutional esteem for teachers. The winners of this award came to be seen as representatives of excellence. This collection of testimonial narratives, which includes case studies and classroom vignettes, illustrates how teachers are models of excellence. (JLS)