Contagious positivity and high expectations — Lewiston Elementary Teacher of the Year, Cindy King
Growing up in a family of 12 children taught Cindy King many life lessons — one of which was to strive to reach her full potential in many different responsibilities and relationships. King is a wife, mother, Aggie basketball fan, and beloved fifth-grade teacher at Lewiston Elementary.
After working for Cache County School District as a secretary for 18 years, King had a desire to shift her focus and change paths in her career. She went back to school to obtain her teaching degree and has been teaching at Lewiston Elementary for the past four years. She has been selected as the school’s 2019-2020 Teacher of the Year.
King’s decision to return to school to become an educator was significantly influenced by her time working for the district. Particularly, her supervisor, Craig Ashton, played a big role in her decision. She explained, “He was life-changing for me. He did for me, what I hope to do for my students, and that is to help them realize the potential they have. As his assistant, I was pushed and challenged to do things I had never done before. He truly helped me to see the potential that I had never seen before.”
King’s goal as a teacher is to help her students see that same potential in themselves. According to Principal Leslie Burt, King is successful because of her efforts to connect with students of all ages. “She always puts the students above everything. She is friendly and super positive with everyone in the school — students, parents, staff, and faculty,” said Burt. “She has high expectations for students but does everything in her power to help them meet the challenge.”
One of King’s favorite parts of being a teacher is having the opportunity to teach students who are also part of her local community. She enjoys getting to see her students at church, the grocery store, or when she is out on a walk with her husband. “I love that teaching for me is not just eight to four on the weekdays — it’s 24/7. It is my entire life,” King said. “My husband compares me to Santa Claus because he says that whenever kids see me, they want to come say ‘hi.’ I love that because, to me, that means I make a difference in their lives.”
King was honored during the February 20th CCSD board meeting.