Tangent Elementary School third grade teacher Katie Kizer was recently named Educator of the Week by K103 radio in Portland and Concordia University.
Katie was nominated by fellow teacher Sharayah Johnson. In her nomination, she said:
Katie deserves this honor because she genuinely cares about her student’s lives. Not only is she very passionate about teaching children to love learning, but she is eager to inspire her 3rd grade students to be their best selves. She makes it a priority to check in with her students, and is often seen asking her students, “What are you grateful for today?” This practice is now routine for our staff as well. For many of her students, their home life is a struggle in a number of ways, and for some, school is the one place in their life that is constant and safe. Katie takes this role seriously and creates a community within her classroom culture that is so evident that even outsiders walking into her room can sense the feeling of calm and love that emanates from her learning environment. I have no doubt that Katie’s leadership within her class and within our school building itself has helped improve our school culture over the past five years. She is an incredible individual whom I feel privileged to call a colleague and friend.
Katie was interviewed by K103 last week. Read the transcript of the interview.
Each week during the school year, K103 and Concordia University honor a local educator, who receives:
- $103 Gift Card for Classroom School Supplies
- The Crystal Apple Award
- A Concordia University Continuing Education Scholarship