Tag Archives: Elementary Teachers

Idaho’s E’Liane Khang garners 2022 Simplot Inspirational Teacher award

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Elementary school teacher E’Liane Khang of Pocatello, Idaho, has been named the winner of the 2022 Simplot Inspirational Teacher Award. Photo Credit:

It is always my pleasure to share the story of an exceptional educator who has earned accolades for their work in the classroom. Today, I share the story of E’Liane Khang, an elementary school teacher from Idaho who has been named the winner of the 2022 Simplot Inspirational Teacher award.

E’Liane teaches fifth graders at Tyhee Elementary School in the Pocatello-Chubbuck School District in Pocatello, Idaho.

It is easy to see why E’Liane is noted for her ability to inspire her students. She works very hard to develop relationships with her kids. “The first several months of school are spent eating lunch with each of my students so that I can get to know them better,” she explains. “Outside during recess, I play games and encourage shy kids to walk and talk with me. Some days, I can be silly, dance, sing, or poke fun at myself for attempting to play four square or sharks and minnows. By Christmas, my class will hopefully have a very strong sense of community and be ready to tackle difficult assignments or projects,” she continues. “These relationships help me to build trust, so that I can eventually request my class to try harder, take risks, and not fear making mistakes,” she concludes.

In addition to her work in the classroom,  E’Liane participates in a variety of workshops, book studies, and math mentoring programs. She has brushed up her knowledge of new technologies by spending her vacations attending Summer STEM programs for Idaho State University. This is important, she says, because when teachers implement new technology in their lessons, reluctant learners don’t want to miss school.

E’Liane was selected for the SImplot Inspirational Teacher award from a pool of 379 nominated teachers. Council Members selected 20 finalists based on the teacher’s ability to inspire their students, their use of innovative methods in the classroom, and their impact on students’ life-long skills. As the winner of the award, E’Liane received $500.

To learn more about E’Liane Khang, click on this link to the Simplot Award.

Alabama’s Kelly Parker named 2023 Elem Teacher of the Year for District 1 in

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Elementary school teacher Kelly Parker from Mobile, Alabama, has been named the 2023 Elementary Teacher of the Year for District 1 in her county. Photo Credit: Mobile County Public School System

I always enjoy sharing stories about exceptional educators who teach in American schools. One of these is Kelly Parker, an elementary school teacher from Mobile, Alabama. She has been named the 2023 Elementary Teacher of the Year for District 1 in her county.

Kelly’s career as an educator spans 14 years. She currently teaches second graders at Tanner Williams Elementary School in the Mobile County Public School System. She has also taught kindergarten and first grade.

This innovative educator enjoys designing hands-on curriculum and community service projects for her young students. She fosters a love of writing with her students by directing each class to complete a book for their successors as part of her series, Sweet Home Tanner Williams. For another project, Kelly wrote a grant for Agriculture in the Classroom to fund a greenhouse on her campus. Once the greenhouse was built, her students planted seeds to raise plants to sell to the community, and through these sales, the students raised $2,000 for the school.

In addition to her work with children, Kelly leads professional development on foundational reading skills and serves on her school’s team for accreditation. And Kelly is one of the first educators in her district to be named a Dyslexia Interventionist Resource teacher.

Kelly earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of South Alabama. She earned her degree as an Education Specialist from the University of West Alabama. She is also a National Board Certified teacher. Furthermore, she has attended Space Camp for Teachers at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center.

To read more about Kelly Parker, click on this link to an article about her published by Mobile County Public Schools.

Colorado teacher Tiffany Miera garners 2022-2023 Milken Award

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Colorado elementary teacher Tiffany Miera has garnered a prestigious 2022-2023 Milken Educator Award. Photo Credit: Milken Educator Awards

There are many exceptional teachers working in our nation’s schools who are deserving of recognition. One of these is Tiffany Miera, an elementary school teacher from Durango, Colorado. She has garnered a prestigious 2022-2023 Milken Educator Award.

The Milken Educator Awards have been described by Teacher Magazine as the “Oscars of Teaching.” In addition to a $25,000 cash prize and public recognition, the honor includes membership in the National Milken Educator Network, a group of more than 3,000 exemplary teachers, principals, and specialists from all over the country who work towards strengthening best practices in education. To learn more, click on Milken Educator Awards.

Tiffany teaches mathematics to fifth graders a Needham Elementary School. Her connection to the school is a long one—she attended the school herself when she was a child, and she has devoted her entire 14-year teaching career to the school.

The honored educator, who has also taught special education, continuously strives to build the foundational math skills that her students need to be successful. In fact, as a result of her efforts, Needham’s fifth graders have risen from 25.4% proficiency in 2019 to 42.9% in 2022, outperforming both the district and state. “I teach because I love to see my kids grow and learn,” Tiffany declares. “When I see my students achieve, I’m so proud of them, because I know how hard they worked to get there.”

Tiffany is not only a leader in her classroom, but she is also a leader on her campus and in her school district. She serves on Needham’s instructional leadership, math curriculum, cultural, and gifted and talented committees. In addition, she has led professional development for elementary math colleagues and she mentors new hires and student teachers.

Tiffany earned her Bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies and English as a Second Language from Fort Lewis College in 2008. She earned her Master’s degree in Special Education from Grand Canyon University in 2014, and a second Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Southeastern Oklahoma State University in 2022.

Texas teacher Lisa Mackey named a 2023 State Teacher of the Year finalist

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Elementary school teacher Lisa Mackey has been named one of three educators from her state who have been named as 2023 Texas State Teacher of the Year finalists. Photo credit: Texas Association of School Administrators

It is always my pleasure to recognize exceptional educators who have been honored for their work with students. One of these is Lisa Mackey, an art teacher from Klein, Texas. She has been named one of three educators from her state who have been named as 2023 Texas State Teacher of the Year finalists.

Lisa teaches at Fox Elementary School in the Klein Independent School District. In a career that began in 2010 in the Fort Bend Independent School District, she has taught at Fox since 2022, when she became a member of the inaugural staff at that school. Before transitioning to art, she taught as a regular classroom teacher. But she declares that the move has been a good one for her. “As an art teacher, I have a unique opportunity to pull out creativity in every way possible,” Lisa says. “However, having been a classroom teacher before transitioning to art has made me appreciate and integrate cross-curricular activities into many of my lessons.”

In addition to her work as an art instructor, Lisa is an advocate for advanced academics as a Gifted and Talented coordinator. In this role, she works with students to help them thrive in problem-solving and self-driven learning. She also does volunteer work as a Destination Imagination coach. Destination Imagination students work together in teams to solve open-ended STEAM challenges designed to teach the creative process.

This outstanding educator has been named one of three teachers from across Texas who have been chosen as Texas State Teacher of the Year finalists for the 2023 Elementary Texas Teacher of the Year program. But she has garnered other accolades as well. In 2022, Lisa was named her district’s Teacher of the Year, and she was selected in both 2020 and 2015 as the Metzler Elementary School Teacher of the Year, also located in the Klein ISD. Metzler is an internationally recognized Visible Learning campus. Visible Learning is the result of work by John Hattie who conducted research focusing on the influences that impact student achievement. Hattie was able to identify more than 250 influences on positive student achievement. Visible Learners set learning goals, are reflective, and know when to seek help from peers. Teachers provide success criteria so learners understand what it means to be successful in their learning.

Lisa earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education from Texas State University in 2009, graduating magna cum laude.

TN educator Alexa Guynes earns Milken Educator Award

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Fifth grade teacher Alexa Guynes of Germantown, Tennessee, has earned a prestigious 2022 Milken Educator Award. Photo credit: Milken Educator Awards

It is always a pleasure to share stories about innovative educators who have earned recognition for their work in the classroom. One of these is Alexa Guynes, an elementary school teacher from Tennessee who has earned a prestigious 2022 Milken Educator Award.

Alexa teaches fifth grade at Dogwood Elementary in the Germantown Municipal School District. She has a reputation for designing lessons that are immersive. For example, her students wear goggles and lab coats for Mad Scientist Day; a lesson about Jackie Robinson ends with uniformed students going out on the school field to play a baseball game; and March Madness becomes a literary March Madness, including a reading tournament where students vote on their selections for the best book. In fact, her class begins each day with a book, usually a picture book, related to the topic the students are learning about that day. Many of Alexa’s students declare that this “Book a Day” tradition is their favorite part of class.

In addition to working with her young students, Alexa serves as the Chair for her school’s fifth grade team, and she is the English/Language Arts (ELA) content lead for third, fourth, and fifth grades. She helped her school implement its new ELA curriculum, enhancing lessons with imaginative strategies and activities designed to promote interaction. Alexa also mentors student teachers and has served on Dogwood’s school leadership, professional development, and ELA textbook selection committees.

Alexa was born and raised in Germantown. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in 2014 and her Master’s degree in Elementary Education in 2021, both from Mississippi State University.

The Milken Educator Awards have been described by Teacher Magazine as the “Oscars of Teaching.” In addition to a $25,000 cash prize and public recognition, the honor includes membership in the National Milken Educator Network, a group of more than 2,700 exemplary teachers, principals, and specialists from all over the country who work towards strengthening best practices in education. To learn more, click on Milken Educator Awards.

To read more about Alexa Guynes, click on this link to Germantown Municipal School District.