National Teacher Appreciation Week showed us that there are many different reasons to thank a teacher.

Oakwood Elementary School’s PTA decided to decorate the building in a jungle theme in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week:

We asked parents and students to share their thoughts about their favorite educators on social media. Here’s a collection of the responses:

 

Love love love Ms. loving (kindergarten), Mrs Simons (1st grade) & Mrs christensen (2nd grade) at Orchard Elementary! They are all WONDERFUL and AMAZING! Ms. Loving taught my son to read chapter books in Kindergarten. Mrs. Simons is doing a wonderful job teaching my younger son to spell using all the tools possible. Mrs. Christensen is pushing her class to spell things like audiologist, neurologist, astronaut and meteorite. It’s amazing what kids can accomplish when pushed and given set goals! Thank you to the best kindergarten, 1st & 2nd grade teachers we could’ve asked for!

My daughter’s teacher Ms. Pearce at Rolling Meadows has been by far the best teacher. She relit the fire in my daughter and made her love school again.

Mrs. Best at Neil Armstrong is amazing! My son has Aspergers, and while very bright is quite a handful in the classroom. Many times people struggle to see past his disability to the amazing kid underneath. Not so with Mrs. Best; she saw it from the beginning and has pulled the very best out of him and has helped him become a better student and more social. She has even helped his classmates understand him better, and for the first time ever he was invited to a classmate’s birthday party. This year has made my son not only happy but also proud to be part of a school and made him feel like he belongs. That is mostly due to the Herculean efforts of his teacher who every day lives up to her last name because she truly is the best!

Mrs. Kolloch (Hunter High) is the bomb dot com and encourages me to be a better writer!! Thanks (:

Mrs. Haslam (Westbrook Elementary) is wonderful with my crazy kindergartener. She shows patience and a firm hand while letting him know he’s loved. Mrs. Pettey has her kids so organized that they can run the show, which leaves her plenty of time to share real life experiences with them and getting them to think about how they would deal with life’s happenings.

Sharla Duersch Beverly (Roosevelt Elementary) is amazing. I love how she knows all the kids (not just in her class) names and how she runs the after school program. I am so glad I have gotten to know her these last two years. We are now lifetime friends!

Second grade teacher Ms. Kay at Bacchus is amazing.

Wasatch Jr. High Mr. Watson for band. Really great teacher!!!!

Mrs. Dimond at Granger High School is the best teacher ever! She gave me so much advice this year and last year. I’ve learned so much from her; I’ve learned things from her that I can apply in my career later on in life. I’m going to be a future business leader and it’s all thanks to her. Thank you for all you’ve done, Mrs. Dimond

Mrs. Carlston at Arcadia Elementary taught all my girls. She is amazing. She’s retiring this year; my youngest will miss out.

Mrs. Pehrson at Farnsworth Elementary is fabulous. She is the best. My child is at the top of his class but she ALWAYS has something for him to do if he finishes before the rest of the class. He is ever sitting in class bored which has made this school year fantastic.

Matt Baumann is a great teacher and I have been so blessed to have him as my math teacher for 3 years at Cottonwood High.

Thank you to all my teachers at Eisenhower Junior High! I love them all. Shout out to my favorite teacher Mrs. Weirman! She’s the most amazing teacher; she has really taught us all that’s possible and she cares for us! Thank you also to Mrs. Stout – Letz. You have been an excellent teacher this year!!! We’re really going to miss you here at Eisenhower! !! All teachers are amazing.

Mr. Clawson (Taylorsville High) is my favorite teacher. He always gives me a good laugh. Best teacher ever.

We are truly blessed to have Mrs. Baker at Hunter Elementary as our son’s 3rd grade teacher & Mrs. Tupou at Pleasant Green Elementary as our daughter’s 1st grade teacher. Both are amazing women, who really do teach the kids. They are passionate about education and they really help the kids in their classes love to learn. We are grateful every day for them

‪Debbie Pienezza at Brockbank Junior High is a perfect fit for the community and her students. I was lucky enough to have her as a science teacher in 84-85. My brothers, sister, and daughter had her as a math teacher. She has a way of making curriculum and learning fun. She connects to her students and their families. She has a way of making every student feel as if they are her FAVORITE! Thanks, Debbie, for being a force for good and not giving up on kids.

Mrs. Madrigal (Upland Terrace Elementary) influenced my life and many other of her students. She believed in me when I had a hard time, and she was not angered easily. She is amazing. I was a bully but she got me out of all that. She has touched every one of her students. She is a great teacher.

Mrs. Dunyon (Bonneville Jr. High) has helped my girls share their singing and acting talents.

Ms. Spencer At Granger High School! Her AP world history class can be very challenging at times, but I know she does it to help us and educate us for our end of the year AP national test. She has been missing a few days of class lately due to her brain tumor. I think she is an amazing women and very strong as well. She will be retiring after this year, and I hope she has a long and happy retirement as well.

Mr. Cannon & Mr. Duncan (Cottonwood High) taught my girls to love physics and math.

My teacher is Mrs. Craven at Fox Hills Elementary ALC program. She is the greatest teacher. She helps us when we struggle, she makes things challenging at times and she can connect with how we feel because she has raised children and has grandchildren. She has many games to help us learn and have fun and activities to help us understand. Most of all she always finds ways to make us do better, and she even helps her students after they’ve left to succeed and be the best they can be!!!

Thank you to Mrs. D. Morris at Taylorsville High School! You have made History quite the fun subject to study and learn, especially for an honors class. It’s a lot of fun listening and participating in the lessons that you’ve taken the time to prepare. Mixing it up with notes, documents, DBQs, and presentations gives a lot of different perspectives on what is being taught. You’re the best history teacher that I have ever had. Thank you.

Shout out to Mrs. Burgon-Cruz and Mrs. Starr at Eisenhower Jr. High. You two have really made an impact on my life and have inspired me to go into teaching, and I’m only a Junior in high school right now. I am taking steps toward that goal. Thank you for all that you’ve done for me and for every other student.

Jen Christensen at the Granite Technical Institute is the best teacher! Explains things clearly and prepares you for your EMT tests!

Mrs. Seipert from Kearns Jr. High. She is the special education teacher there. She has so much love and compassion for her job and the children in her class. I was in her class as a T.A. for two years and I learned how to be a better person and how to love every one for who they are. She’s an inspiration.

Mr. Bell at Granger Elementary understands kids with disabilities and challenge of them at their level and work for the parents to work with the kids. Same thing with Mr. Hamilton (Bonneville Jr. High) in their special education program.

Thanks, Mrs. Elkins (Taylorsville High), for making history class more fun than Jr. High history (:

Ms. Jones from Taylorsville is one of the sweetest and most encouraging teachers I’ve met in the classroom and out. She teaches us while never failing to make us laugh with her excited and outgoing personality. She always offers encouragement and support we need in the classroom, and makes sure every one of us is as prepared as possible for the test. Not only is she an excellent teacher, but she also is the school’s biggest supporter. She is the athletic director and will come to support every sports team all throughout the season. She is a great inspiration!

I’d like to thank Mr. Rollins (Curriculum Specialist). He did a great job at explaining the historical importance behind all of the American battles, as well as the Great Depression. What he taught me three years ago I can still remember today! His teachings about the Nazis and their hatred toward the Jews has taught me a lot about hate, and I have extreme respect for this topic. Thank you, Mr. Rollins, for being an excellent teacher!

Mr. Tidwell is the best teacher here at T-ville! He’s always so helpful and he inspires me to be a teacher!

Mr. Graff (Bennion Jr. High) is easily one of the greatest English teachers. His love for English and all things nerdy is contagious and his class is always fun! He teaches us the basics of English while pushing us to do our best. He treats everyone with the respect they deserve and he teaches us valuable lessons that we will always remember, especially the GT classes. We all love him and don’t know what we’d do without him. Can’t wait to have him for GT again next year!

Mr. Sullivan and Mrs. Tuckness (Cottonwood High) spend countless hours making the music program an amazing success.

Mrs. Green (Bennion Jr. High) is by far the best English teacher I’ve ever had. She isn’t wrapped around just getting the lesson done, but she makes sure we understand it fully. She teaches with a passion that even a blind person can see. The love she has for teaching is real and lively, not artificial like many people today. In her English class, you don’t just learn grammar or reading. I’ve learned to dig deeper and look past the obvious. I’ve learned lessons I’ll remember for the rest of my life. Mrs. Green brings the best out of us everyday. She inspires me to try my hardest on everything.

Teacher who influenced my life the most: Hal Newman (Hunter High). His class made me want to be a teacher.

Ms. Prettyman (Arcadia Elementary) teaches my 2nd grader. We love her!

Señor Wells (Taylorsville High) is an amazing teacher! He has the passion of culture that is just so contagious. Not only does he share his love of language but also he shows his students how important it is to try in school. His class has taught me so much more than just Spanish. My love for Spanish has grown so much more this year, and I actually decided that I want to major or minor in it in college. So thank you, Señor Wells, for being an inspiration to me, and sharing your love of life, culture, learning, and language.