Local educator awarded Yuma County Teacher of the Year

Thorp’s math class gets to write equations on the walls of the school. It’s not graffiti it’s middle school arithmetic made fun. It’s an out of the box way of teaching earning T.J. the honor of ” Teacher of the year. ”

” It’s about providing experiences in your classroom, not just the learning. Ultimately, there are so many online programs out there, that gives curriculum content without any teacher in front of them…but you can’t get everything from that…that’s what kids come to school for…the experiences. ”

T.J. believes education is a lot more than reading, writing and arithmetic. It’s also about providing students experiences …. shaping their minds and helping them find their passion in life.

I’ve seen firsthand how an experience can change a child. We did frog dissections for sixth-graders, and one of the students who was the most terrified came to me after and said she wants to become a vet. It was the experience that did that. ”

Like T.J. most educators know teaching doesn’t come with a huge paycheck. However, it does come with the satisfaction of making a difference in young budding minds.

” It’s a reality for me. I do this job for one reason and one reason, it’s for the kids. ” said Their enthusiasm when they conquer a difficult task…it’s 100% the kids. ”