Apparently a furlough is no match for the 2010 State Teacher of the Year.

At a time when teachers and their students are being challenged as never before — budget shortfalls, pay cuts, loss of instructional days — Wima Chulakote stands as a worthy example of dedication and the pursuit of achievement.

Chulakote, a mathematics teacher for Olomana School, teaches at-risk and incarcerated youth, many of whom need help to pass the math section of the General Educational Development (GED) test. Ninety percent of his students pass the section, and for good reason. Chulakote is known for meeting his students day or night, on weekends, at school or at Jack in the Box, to make sure they learn.

Such commitment is exemplified not only in Chulakote, but in the other six teachers selected as District Teachers of the Year. They include Christine Ho of Farrington High; Julia Rose LoPresti of 'Aiea Intermediate; Kathy Lin of Highlands Intermediate; Samantha Funes of Keonepoko Elementary; Emily Haines-Swatek of King Kekaulike High; and Crystal Ishida of Kekaha Elementary.

One of Chulakote's former students from the Hawai'i Youth Correctional Facility offered a statement supporting his nomination: "He didn't want any of us to fail his class. He would give us an 'I' until we made up our grade."

It's hard to imagine a truer measure of a teacher's commitment.