1st grade teacher, Mrs. Jennifer Goree has been named Teacher of the Year for Morton Elementary (K-2) and 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Jo Brown has been named Teacher of the Year for Morton Upper Elementary (3-4) for the 2019-2020 school year.
Both teachers were recognized at their school earlier this year in November for their hard work, dedication, and effort to teaching and improving student learning.
Both teachers are known as "seasoned teachers", a term used in the education sector to refer to educators who have many years of experience and a passion for teaching and supporting a number of students.
Mrs. Brown became a teacher because she loves children and have a passion for them. She shared, "I want to do my very best to instill a love of learning into each child I come into contact with, and hope I am doing that. Each day the students teach me something and I hope they will never give up on themselves and learning."
When asked about her mission this year as a teacher, Mrs. Brown said, "This year I want each child to be filled with a sense of belonging and a hope for their future. I pray that each child grows to be the best he/she can be. They have so much potential just waiting to be developed. I hope I am nurturing that potential and it will bloom into an undying love of learning."
Winning this accomplishment and title is the second time for Mrs. Goree in the past six years, as she was also named one of the Teachers of the Year for the 2016-2017 school year. This school year makes 22 years that Mrs. Goree has been in the educational arena, with 15 of those years specifically at Morton schools as a teacher.
Mrs. Goree credits a very special teacher in her junior high school years that influenced her to be the teacher she is today. She stated that later in high school, after watching a teacher assistant work with some deaf students at school, she decided to go into Deaf Education.
For Mrs. Goree, teaching is her calling and she can not see herself doing anything else.
"Teaching kids is pure joy for me. I try my best to start over on a clean slate each day, showing them patience, compassion, and love! I try to teach them the way I would want my kids taught! I love it when a child realizes they have mastered a skill and the joy that is shone on their face....that's the moment we are striving for daily and it is priceless once obtained."