Edward Kelley Teacher Earns Teacher of the Year Award

At a small preschool on Bradshaw Road, the parents do as much learning as the students.

Parvin Keyanpour sees to that. She has taught at for 20 years, and this year was named the Sacramento City Unified School District's Adult Education Teacher of the Year.

"The parents are the students in this program," she said.

Edward Kelley is a parent-participation preschool, which means parents are required to spend time in the classroom with their kids. Keyanpour said her first taste of the teaching style came when her kids were in preschool, and she was hooked.

"You get to know what's behind the closed door when you drop off your kids," she said, noting that parent-participation preschool can form good habits for parents to stay involved in their kids' education.

She strives to teach parenting and discipline techniques. Parents can also list behavior concerns at the start of each semester, and Keyanpour will tailor goals for each student.

"The most rewarding memory is when the parent walks in with a child and [is] complaining, 'I don't know what to do with that child,' " she said. "Then I tell myself: 'This is a challenge for me. This is the reward I've been waiting for; let's see if I can make a difference in that child's behavior.' "

Keyanpour has taught in the Bradshaw Road school for two decades, but that barely scratches the surface in .

, a local historian and Rosemont resident who attended Edward Kelley before it was a preschool, praised Keyanpour.

"She is a wonderful teacher, and I just love going to the school and watching the interaction between Parvin, and the parents with the preschoolers," Cabral Wilson said in an email.

Keyanpour said she has many former preschool students who are now grown, but still remember her classes as some of their most fun.

"Amazingly, they remember everything about preschool," she said.

So what's next for Keyanpour? One thing is for sure: She won't be looking at retiring anytime soon. She said she'll be teaching "as long as I have energy and love for it."

"I jump out of bed and I'm looking forward to it," she said. "It's a part of me now."