Utah Education Association honors Mary Knight with Excellence in Teaching award
For eight years, Heritage Elementary 6th-grade teacher Mary Knight has been doing everything in her power as an educator to help children succeed. Knight’s hard work is being recognized this year with the Excellence in Teaching Award from the Utah Education Association.
Knight is one of only ten educators in the state to receive the award, which UEA presents to teachers “whose efforts in the classroom have significantly impacted the life of an individual child or group of children.” Recipients also receive a $1,500 cash award courtesy of doTERRA and will be honored during the KeyBank Superstars in Education banquet in Salt Lake City on May 15th.
Principal Lance Robins believes that Knight is an exceptional educator because of how she cares for her students and the team at Heritage. He explained, “It seems like she is the first to arrive and the last to leave the school on most days — I just love how passionate she is about what she does. She is a natural leader and is always looking out for others in a positive way.”
As a teacher, Knight appreciates the opportunity to be in her classroom each day because of the relationships she is able to form and the way she gets to challenge her students. “Finding a way to connect with each student in my class individually makes teaching fun and interesting each and every year,” she said. “Figuring out a way to reach a tough kid is a challenge I am happy to tackle.”
Knight explained that while this award from UEA validates her efforts in the classroom, it is all thanks to the teachers and staff she works with who encourage her. “Heritage Elementary is full of amazing teachers and staff, the best custodian ever, and our school office staff goes way above and beyond to make each student and staff member feel valued and respected,” Knight shared. “Mr. Robins constantly reminds us that we can make a difference — I believe we can do great things when we support and encourage each other.”