Meet Karissa Gordon, a third-grade teacher who knew early on that this was what she wanted to do with her life.
"I wanted to be a teacher since I was seven," said Miss Gordon. "My second-grade teacher was the first teacher I had that I didn't absolutely love because I didn't love the way she made kids feel, including me, so at the ripe age of seven I wanted to be a teacher that helped kids feel good about school. I also wanted to be a rockstar so that's still in the works but teaching kind of gets that, too."
Miss Gordon has an amazing ability to bring out the best in her students, often letting them lead the way.
"We call them bunny trails. I love when I start the conversation and let them take it where we need to go because what they bring to the table will always and forever be better than what I could possibly bring. Letting me set the stage and the parameters for what we're going to talk about and then letting them bring their experiences and where they want to go with it is always more authentic and just creates the best conversations. I would love for them to know that they can do hard things. We work on perseverance a lot in our class. We work on accomplishing hard things and knowing that that's where learning happens. If that's a skill that I can instill in them, knowing that they're capable of doing hard things, I think that would serve them not just in fourth grade but through the rest of their lives. How cool if we could have a generation of kiddos that just know that they are capable of doing ridiculously hard things? They would take over the world in amazing ways."
Q2, Western Security Bank, City Brew Coffee, and the Education Foundation for Billings Public Schools have teamed up for "One Class at a Time." The program recognizes teachers who go above and beyond to help their students.
For being a teacher who brings a high level of connection and engagement to her classroom, Miss Gordon was presented with a $500 grant from the Education Foundation for Billings Public Schools, proudly sponsored by Western Security Bank, and a $150 gift card from City Brew Coffee.
If you would like your teacher to be the next recipient, make a nomination HERE.
