Biology teacher Kathy Affleck is one of ten Granite Schools faculty members to receive the Excel Outstanding Educator Award this year. It is given to nine teachers and one principal every year. The award has been going on for 35 years, which makes it the longest-running teacher recognition award in the state. 

The award came as a total shock to Affleck, who said, “I was really surprised. They basically just came into my classroom. I saw the drumline outside, and I saw something big and shaggy. I knew I had applied for [the award], but I just didn’t connect the dots. So it wasn’t until the mob of people from the district and everybody came in with balloons and when I saw my husband and my mom and my son, and I was like, ‘Oh.’ I was actually really surprised. I was not expecting it.”

Teachers, like Affleck, have to be nominated and then go through a process, including an application. Affleck said, “On the application form, it asks you to give an example of a lesson plan that shows your teaching philosophy, and ‘how do you make sure you have a good relationship with students?’ and ‘if you could summarize your teaching philosophy, what would that be?’ […] So, it’s based on that application, but then they came in, and they observed me a lot.”

After the application is done, someone from the district comes and observes the teacher during class. Affleck said that they luckily came in when she had her AP classes and were doing labs or an activity of some sort instead of having a lecture for that whole class.

She said, “I was surprised at how many times they came in and observed. They just dropped in, so whatever’s on tap is on tap. They see what they see.”

When asked about why Affleck thought she was picked out of the many other teachers, she gave credit to her fellow colleagues.

She explained, “I feel like I do a solid job teaching, but I think there’s a lot of really great teachers, too, and I think I have been really lucky to always be with teachers who are very willing to help me. It made it much easier coming in as a teacher with no experience, having people to help you and give you ideas. And I just feel like I’ve always had a good group of people, too, to support me.”