Congratulations to Jocelyn Murdock, Canyon Elementary's Teacher of the Year
During her 15 years of teaching kindergarten at Canyon Elementary, Jocelyn Murdock has helped hundreds of young students learn and grow with her natural kindness and genuine care. Principal Stacie Williamson describes Murdock as a “delight” and an “incredible team player.” She said, “Jocelyn is always willing to go the extra mile and help on any team--and she does it all with such a positive attitude! It is truly my pleasure to get to honor her as Canyon’s Teacher of the Year.”
Murdock graduated from Utah State University in 2006 with a dual major in early childhood education and early childhood special education. “Because I studied early childhood education, I’ve always liked the early childhood years,” Murdock explained. “I love that age group; they learn so much. It is fun to see them grasp and catch onto new learning. They can go from not knowing any of the alphabet at the beginning of the school year to reading by the end. It’s amazing to see their growth and their personalities.”
It is this growth that brings joy to Murdock’s teaching. Not only has she taught kindergarten since she began teaching, but she has been in the same classroom for all those years. Her first class of kindergartners recently graduated from high school and are moving on to big things. Murdock said that even though it feels strange to see her students get married and go off to college, it is fun to see who they have become and the great things they do.
Principal Williamson has worked with Murdock for many years and considers her a pivotal staff member at Canyon Elementary. “She has been giving Colts the foundation they need, as one of our phenomenal kindergarten teachers, since the beginning of her career,” she elaborated. “For many years, Jocelyn has been known for her organization, excellent classroom management, wonderful communication skills, fairness, kindness, and her true love for her students. I love going into her classroom to observe her teach any subject. Not only is she prepared with a great lesson full of movement, repetition, activity, and engagement strategies, but it is fun! She is having fun and so are her kids!”
Murdock has faced some formidable challenges during her time as a teacher. For example, in her first year of all-day kindergarten teaching, 20 out of her 22 students did not speak English. Principal Williamson remarked that although it was incredibly difficult, Murdock approached the challenge by loving each of her students and helping them through their anxiety of being in the classroom. By December, the students were flourishing.
“Seeing that lightbulb moment is my favorite part about teaching,” Murdock said. “We work and we work and they might not be getting it--but then all of a sudden, it just clicks and they just take off. It seems like every child gets to that spot where it all makes sense.”
She continued, “All children can learn. All children deserve to learn. And when I give it my all, they flourish, and they do their best. We see so much growth from them! We come together and create something amazing.”