As a new elementary school mother, I wasn’t sure which teacher would be the best for my soon to be 1st grade daughter. One day after volunteering in her kindergarten class, I prayerfully walked down the 1st grade hall hoping to grasp the 1st grade teachers’ personalities from a glance through their classroom door windows. There she was, a 20 year vet, hanging up her class’ “100 Days of School” projects in the hallway. I casually approached her and she warmly and excitedly declared that the projects this year were “so creative!” as she showed me 100 army men set up for battle and 100 dinosaurs in a swampy panoramic display. Her eyes sparkled with kindness (they actually, really do sparkle!) and I knew immediately that I had found the jewel of 1st grade teachers.
The beauty of Mrs. Perkins is multi-fold. Her years of experience allow her to lead a room of students with ease, and though those many years may weary some, Mrs. Perkins is FULL of ENERGY! She treats her students respectfully and kindly. She brightens their lives with her personality and love and enlightens their minds with a rigorous learning environment. Mrs. Perkins has been known to break into song and dance for a perfect spelling test or super handwriting. Mrs. Perkins also goes beyond the mark each year by directing her students in a unique Dr. Seuss class play that they perform for the school. On performance day as I helped to apply make-up on the student actors, Mrs. Perkins went on about how darling they looked before she led an excited bunch off to the stage.
I knew that Mrs. Perkins was a gem from the first moment I met her. After so many years of teaching… she is still SO EXCITED to be with her students and shape their futures. The saddest part of this perfect story is that this is Mrs. Perkins last year before she retires and my three younger children won’t have the privilege of being taught by such a wonderful teacher. Please help me to recognize and reward one of Utah’s finest teachers…Mrs. Laurie Perkins!
–Lisa Bergantz