Thank you to all the teachers who participated in our Teacher Appreciation Giveaway! We have been reading some wonderful stories. You all are wonderful human beings, and we’re so happy for those of you who shared your stories with us to help us better understand how to appreciate you and to be encouraged to show our appreciation for all those who play a special role in our lives.

As a small token of appreciation, a $50 Amazon gift card will be sent to each of the randomly-selected participants.

Our 2022 teacher appreciation giveaway winners are

1) Adela A.

2) Sara M.

3) Gene L.

4) Denise S.

5) Amanda B.

6) Maddy G.

7) Holly N.

8) Anthony K.

9) Sarah C.

10) Allison G.

11) Jackie B.

12) Mark D.

13) Ashlynn L.

14) Renee S.

15) Nayurel R.

16) Agnes R.

17) Karina C.

18) Niki H.

19) Christie P.

20) Gilda Z.

Here are a few of the stories submitted:

• “She goes above and beyond for her 9-12th grade students. Her intentionality, compassion, and love for her students reveal the love of Christ to them on a daily basis. Regardless of the need, her door is always open and she knows no clock. She prays for her students daily and her gift of discernment allows her the chance to speak truth and life into situations that many never even know about. The Lord is using her in mighty ways and we, for one, are all better for it.”

• “She is an excellent math teacher. She goes through every problem on every student’s paper and makes notes on where they went wrong. She does this on every assignment. She allows them to do a set of corrections each week to help improve their knowledge and grade. It is definitely above and beyond.”

• “She makes learning Spanish so much fun for my son.”

• “She is a rare educator. She not only loves to collaborate with other teachers, but she also is an innovator. Ami’s heart always wants to be better at what she does: serving others and her Lord while helping students reach their potential academically.”

• “She LOVES her students. She is so involved with their lives and they know she cares deeply. She is a super creative teacher. Teaching Language Arts and History she does an amazing job of bringing in Biblical Truth along with every subject area. She deals with big questions in 6th grade – like, along with teaching history – different civilizations – she deals with what those people believed about God and the Truth of scripture. She is amazing at bringing in Biblical Worldview and tackling big questions that the kids have – in a very loving way.”

• “She does a great job of reteaching. She knows the areas where her kids struggle and works with them to make corrections to their mistakes.”

• “He works tirelessly to teach middle school band, middle school drama, and high school drama. Working with a limited budget, he coordinates all set design, often working weekends. Due to changes in our school building, the drama room had to move and downsize during the summer of 2021. Instead of complaining, he donated weeks of his own time to make sure the drama room was ready for students! He is truly an example of dedication!”

• “She is a wonderful teacher. She is so patient and kind with the children. She has been an amazing co-worker to work with over the years.”

• “She has shown amazing dedication to her subject and her students through life lessons in the classroom. She is an asset to my child’s school and a mentor to her students.
• She is a very dedicated teacher who goes way above and beyond to help her students understand and succeed in Math. She stays late after school to give extra help to struggling students. She sends extra work home when it is needed. She will walk through problems with patience and great explanation. She is kind and gentle but tough when she needs to be. She loves the Lord and loves to share Jesus with her students. She has great expectations for them and wants them to all be great people first and then have a great understanding of Math. She is very deserving of some appreciation.”

• “She is an exemplary teacher who goes above and beyond anybody’s imagination. She is a class sponsor, runs the yearbook, planned a 7-day long Senior Trip, organizes school pictures (for K5-12 grades, sports, and clubs), chaperones school events, mentors young teachers, is a process champion, and develops deep relationships with her students.

• “He is one of those lifelong learners who respect students, and they greatly respect him. He creates a sense of community and belonging in his classroom. He has a very supportive and collaborative environment with his students and colleagues. He is warm, accessible, enthusiastic, and caring. This is the teacher students know they can go to with any problem or concerns or even to share a funny story.”

• “He loves kids. He’s 30 years old, has five children of his own, and invests so much in his students. He’s excited about teaching and passionate about helping students learn. Students feed off that passion and succeed.

• “She has taught for over 30 years and has always been and remains one of the favorite teachers students have or hope to have. She knows her subject well and engages students in learning, but she knows her students even better. Her students know that she’s interested in them, cares for them, knows them, and will take good care of them.”

• “She does all the musicals for PreK-5th grade. She has kids in high school and is dedicating all of her time to making lesson plans, preparing for musicals, and directing them all by herself. She is a great teacher!! She helps them understand how to read music!! She loves all these darling students and it really shows through the way she teaches them!!”

• “She is an emotional support teacher and has seen a very large increase in her workload since the start of the pandemic. She does an amazing job with the students who need her assistance. She Is highly effective and committed to the success of the students. She works countless hours outside of the school day making sure the kids get what they need.”

• “He” has just been diagnosed with cancer and is in the beginning process of chemotherapy. He is married with 3 young children. His faith remains strong and the body of believers are rallying around him, not only with prayer but also as Christ’s hands and feet.”

• “She has been a Christian School educator for over 36 years. Although she is known as “Mrs.”, to me she is called: “Mom”. My mom has been an energetic and compassionate teacher throughout her whole career. She fosters a love of learning in all of her students, just as she did for me. She set me on a path of loving history, reading, and teaching others what I had learned. She inspired me to choose education as my professional vocation. For the last ten years, we have worked together as peers in the same Christian School. She has transformed from being a supportive and loving mother to a role model and a mentor teacher. She continues to give her all to her students and serves way beyond just her classroom responsibilities. She is the first teacher to school in the morning, and always one of the last to leave. I am thankful for her service in education and her impact on countless lives can never be measured.”

• “She works really hard to show her students that she is here for them. She wants them all to be healthy and strong. She wants them to have good minds and to believe in themselves. She teaches them to love themselves. To be kind and to be good to others. She has Bible study every week with the 9th-grade students, making sure they know who they are in Christ. She also holds them accountable with love. She coaches varsity soccer too and loves her girls. She pushes them to strive for excellence on the field and off. Her heart is for her students and doing all she can to teach them how to be better humans. She is very deserving of any amount of recognition and so much more.

• “He not only makes learning interesting but fun. He is a patient and approachable teacher. Very enthusiastic with strong communication skills. His students love him, and his parents deeply appreciate him.”

• “I am nominating my mom who is a great teacher and took a group to Costa Rica. She is so busy but puts Jesus first.”

• “She is one of those rare persons who is an amazing teacher and an accomplished administrator. Professional, adaptable, empathetic, and a great collaborator. Students adore her, and her parents are deeply grateful for having such a wonderful teacher in their children’s lives.”

• “She is not just passionate about what she teaches but she is passionate about her students. She creates a safe learning environment for students to love learning about a new language and culture. She develops interactive opportunities for students to use their skills in real-life situations. For example, she takes the classes to lunch and they order in Spanish. She organizes a school-wide Spanish market and the students in her class set up booths and sell items. They use their skills to communicate. She teaches faculty to learn Spanish dances to add fun for the students during the market. She goes above and beyond what is expected of her. Above everything, she is a prayer warrior for her co-workers and students. It is obvious the light of Christ shines through her in all that she does.”