English language educator Ivona Todorovic from Grand Forks, North Dakota, has been named her state’s 2023 Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: Grand Forks Herald
It is always my pleasure to recognize exceptional educators who have been honored for their work with students. One of these is Ivona Todorovic, a high school English teacher from Grand Forks, North Dakota. She has been named her state’s 2023 Teacher of the Year.
Ivona teaches English language learners in grades 9—2 at Red River High School, Grand Forks.
In addition to her work with students, Ivona organizes district-wide professional development to provide support for general education teachers about effective ways to work with new Americans and immigrant students. She helped to create “Culture Night” on her high school campus. The event has become a community-wide celebration and opportunity for her students to share their cultures through dance, music, food, poetry, and crafts.
Ivona is a native of Bosnia and Herzegovina, She grew up in Zenica, about 43 miles northeast of Sarajevo in southeastern Europe. When the former nation of Yugoslavia broke up into six independent republics in the early 1990s, war and ethnic conflict ensued. That’s when Ivona and her husband, Alex, emigrated to the United States as refugees. The Todorovics arrived in Grand Forks in June, 1995.
Here in the United States, Ivona worked as a Title I para-educator at an elementary school, where her determination to teach again became stronger than ever. She worked in this role for ten years. Next, Ivona enrolled at the University of North Dakota, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. Soon after, through the resident teacher program, she earned a Master’s degree in Education with an emphasis in Reading Education. She also earned a degree in Elementary Education from the University of Sarajevo.
After completing her education, Ivona accepted a position as an English Language teacher in the Grand Forks Public Schools, where she has taught for the past 17 years.
