He keeps track of his students. He knows where they’re coming from and knows where he needs to get them, so he’s very thoughtful in the process of how he goes about preparing his lessons. – North Star Elementary Assistant Principal John Kelly
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's 2015 Teacher of the Year is a fifth-grade educator at North Star Elementary, interim State Superintendent Joel Coleman announced Friday.
Mohsen Ghaffari was chosen from among 21 statewide candidates for the award, which includes a $10,000 check from the Utah State Office of Education, an interactive whiteboard from SMART Board Technologies, a laptop computer from PC Laptops and $250 from McDonald's.
Ghaffari will also attend the National State Teachers of the Year Conference in January and a meet and greet with President Barack Obama in April where the National Teacher of the Year will be named.
Two runners-up were named Friday. Those educators, Whitehorse High School language arts teacher Matthew Baldwin and Dixon Middle School language arts teacher Patricia Drussel, each received a check for $4,000.
"It was an exceptional list," said Tina Morandy, coordinator of Utah's Teacher of the Year award said of this year's finalists. "It was hard for the panel to choose this year."
Ghaffari and the two runners-up were selected by a committee that included representatives from the State Office of Education, Utah Parent Teacher Association and Utah Education Association, as well as school and district administrators and Allison Riddle, 2014's Teacher of the Year.
According to a bio on the North Star Elementary School website, Ghaffari was born in Iran and immigrated to the United States at the age of 18. He is described as a lover of reading and exercise, particularly soccer.
“Both of my children had Mr. Ghaffari for fifth grade, and both thought he was the most amazing teacher,” Antonia Scott wrote as part of Ghaffari's nomination materials. “He goes out of his way to help the kids reach their goals. Besides teaching the core curriculum, Mr. Ghaffari is excellent at teaching life lessons. Kindness and respect are very important to him.”
North Star Elementary Assistant Principal John Kelly said that he recently became an administrator at the school, but he has known Ghaffari for years and has a lot of respect for the way Ghaffari cares about his students.
"He keeps track of his students," Kelly said. "He knows where they’re coming from and knows where he needs to get them, so he’s very thoughtful in the process of how he goes about preparing his lessons."
Kelly described Ghaffari as a humble man who cultivates a strong sense of community in his well-behaved classrooms. He said the honor of Teacher of the Year is completely deserved.
"We’re very proud that he’s representing our school and our district and that he’s been nominated for Teacher of the Year for the state," Kelly said.
Riddle, Utah's former Teacher of the Year, said that as part of the selection committee she looked for candidates with a breadth of experience, both inside and outside the classroom, who would also be comfortable acting as an ambassador for their district and the state.
"You need to be able to express yourself well as a representative," she said.
Riddle said she has enjoyed the networking opportunities that resulted from being named Teacher of the Year, from attending conferences with educators from around the country to the conversations she's had throughout the year with her peers in Utah.
"The most amazing part of this experience has been meeting other teachers," she said.
If she were to give any advice to Ghaffari or other future Teachers of the Year, it would be to take advantage of as many conferences and networking opportunities that their schedule allows.
"They need to make sure they get their name out there, that they introduce themselves and make connections with as many policymakers and teachers as possible," she said.
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