KARNS CITY — Robert Dandoy, 54, originally wanted to be an actor, but he turned to teaching instead.

However, his 30-plus years of performance in the classroom led him to be honored recently with the National Teacher of Excellence Award by the National Council of Teachers of English.

The council's Secondary Section bestowed the award on Dandoy, an English teacher at Karns City High School, at its national conference in Nashville, Tenn., in November.

"It's not just me,"Dandoy said modestly of the award."It's nice to have the spotlight, but I'd like to take that spotlight and shine it on other teachers in the area who deserve to be awarded too."

Dandoy has been teaching at Karns City for 31 years. He teaches 11th grade English, journalism, and public speaking. For 20 years, he has also taught English at Butler County Community College as an adjunct faculty member.

He received his undergraduate degree in communication arts theory from Clarion University, and then went to Slippery Rock University for his master's degree in English. He has taken graduate classes at Indiana (Pa.) University.

But his first choice for a profession was not teaching.

"I originally wanted to be an actor," he said, "but after a few years Ideveloped a real passion for teaching. It was something that I enjoyed. Over time it just became this metamorphosis from a job, to something Ihad a real commitment to."

Dandoy is in his sixth year as president of the Pennsylvania Council of Teachers of English and Language Arts, an affiliate of the national English council.

The state council is divided into local affiliates, one of which is the Western Pennsylvania Council of Teachers of English. John Mauer, executive director of the Western Pennsylvania Council, nominated Dandoy for the national award.

"I've had the pleasure of working with some really great people in my time here at Karns City," Dandoy said. "That's partially why it's so humbling to be awarded.

"Ithink the public has this idea that the public school system is in bad shape these days because there's so much focus on test scores, but there's a lot of good learning and teaching being done. There are many good teachers right in our backyard that are really sort of a well-kept secret in the area," he said.

Two such people who Dandoy holds in high regard are Jim Strickland and his wife, Kathleen, both professors at Slippery Rock University. To him, their classrooms offer everything a classroom should, and they have served as excellent models and confidants to Dandoy.

He noted it has been a great experience for him to learn first hand from people who inspire him.

"Their influence has greatly informed my classroom teaching,"Dandoy said. "It's quite an honor to have people of that quality in the area that Ican call a friend."

Similar to the Stricklands, Dandoy and his wife, Julie, are both educators.

They have been married for 25 years and live in Butler. She is a second grade teacher at Emily Brittain Elementary in Butler.

Robert Dandoy said it is nice they are both teachers because they can talk at the end of the day, share their problems, bounce ideas off of one another and relate to experiences.

They have two children. Their son, Justin, is a senior political science major at Clarion University, while their daughter, Jessica, is working on her master's degree in professional writing at SRU.

Being 54 years old, and having taught for more than three decades, Dandoy feels he is nearing retirement, but only from the classroom. He is still interested in writing and the professional development aspect of teaching.

One thing that keeps him going is the yearly council meetings. He was invited to speak about why he is involved in the National Council of Teachers of English at last year's breakfast for first-time attendants.

"Itold them, 'If I didn't come here, Iwouldn't be here,'" he said. "And what Imeant by that is that coming to these conferences is very revitalizing. You can meet with colleagues and share experiences and really learn from one another. It's nice to know you're not the only one with certain problems.

"I truly feel teaching is the most important thing," he said. "It's not just a slogan on a poster to me; it's what Ireally believe."

He said it is rewarding to be able to connect with students and to motivate them to accomplish something that maybe they otherwise would not do.

"Being able to motivate and reach people isn't always easy,"he said. "But it's very rewarding when you can. The best way to get through a brick wall is to just keep pounding."