Congratulations to Monte McKinnon, the 2022-23 Teacher of the Year for South Cache Middle School!
When you put in the effort and work hard, things will turn out, and the reward will be worth the effort. This has been Monte McKinnon’s philosophy throughout his 35 years as a teacher at South Cache. Whether it’s teaching science in his classroom, helping other educators, or running the afterschool program, McKinnon strives to exemplify this to his students and coworkers. In recognition of all he does and contributes to the school, McKinnon has been named South Cache Middle School’s 2022-23 Teacher of the Year.
As a 7th- and 8th-grade science teacher, McKinnon has the opportunity to introduce students to many different facets of science. “The science we do in 7th and 8th grade is a combination of them all. It allows the kids to get their feet wet and try the different types of sciences,” McKinnon explained. “Then they can figure out which ones they like best and get started on science.”
Before starting his career in education, McKinnon considered being a veterinarian or even an accountant, but eventually, he decided to become a teacher. “I tried a couple of other things, but teaching was one of those things that I thought would be a good fit for me because I like serving people,” McKinnon said. According to Randy Bennion, South Cache Principal, McKinnon consistently goes above and beyond what’s expected of him in order to help not only his students but fellow faculty as well.
“Monte works hard to help the climate of our school. He is the head of our Socials Committee and spends a large amount of extra time helping us care for all of our school staff members,” Bennion explained. “He also puts an incredible amount of time in here at school working and coordinating our afterschool program. He oversees the entire program and helps the students to have a wonderful experience as they participate in it.”
McKinnon values the collaboration that can happen between teachers as they come together as a community. “It’s easy to get stuck in your hallway. But we all have a common goal - we want to help the kids,” he explained. “Oftentimes, we have the same kids, and we need to talk between ourselves because someone else may have found something that works for a kid, something that ignites that kid and helps them light up. But if we never talked to the other teachers, then we don't learn that. So it’s important that we're always learning from each other.”
McKinnon also focuses on developing strong relationships with his students. His goal is to make sure that he gets to know each of his students personally and helps them access the tools they need to be successful. One way he does this is through overseeing the afterschool program at South Cache. According to McKinnon, the afterschool program provides different homework help and fun activities for students to participate in before and after school. The main purpose of the program is to provide math and homework help. Different teachers are available to tutor and give a little extra help to students who need it. The program also coordinates activities such as a musical, show choir, pickleball, tennis, art, and so much more. McKinnon has been involved in the program for around seven years and has been in charge of it for the last three.
“My favorite part of the program is that you get to work with the kids, and it's more one-on-one. You can get to know them a little bit better, and it's different being in that situation than in the classroom,” McKinnon said. He explained that he loves being able to joke around more with students and spend time getting to know them at a more personal level.
No matter what he is doing, McKinnon focuses on the individual student and ensuring that they are getting what they need, whether it’s directly related to the content or not. “Not only are we expected to teach our subject, but we have to figure out what the kids need and how to get them motivated. I had a student this year that said, ‘I didn't used to like science. And I like science now.’ And that's a compliment,” McKinnon shared.
McKinnon will be honored at the CCSD Board Meeting on November 17.