Connect Canyons
Learning is about making connections, and we invite you to learn and connect with us. Connect Canyons is a show about what we teach in Canyons District, how we teach, and why. We get up close and personal with some of the people who make our schools great: students, teachers, principals, parents, and more. We meet national experts, too. And we spotlight the “connection makers” — personalities, programs and prospects — we find compelling and inspiring.
Connect Canyons
Episode 84: Past CSD Teacher of the Year Honorees Share Experience as New Teacher of the Year is Crowned
Canyons Teachers are known for going above and beyond. They are dedicated to their students in the classroom and after school, spending extra time to ensure they succeed and supporting them in their extra-curricular activities. Teachers are the profession to teach all other professions. This week, Alta High mathematics teacher Kevin Clyde was named as the 2024 Canyons District Teacher of the Year. In this episode of Connect Canyons, hear from two former District Teachers of the Year – Emma Moss and Max Edington who share their insights having held the year-long title – and their advice to Mr. Clyde as well as other educators.
Welcome to Connect Canyons, a podcast sponsored by Canyons School District. This is a show about what we teach, how we teach and why we get up close and personal with some of the people who make our schools great Students, teachers, principals, parents and more. We meet national experts too. Learning is about making connections, so connect with us.
Speaker 2:Canyons. Teachers are known for going above and beyond. They are dedicated to their students in the classroom and after school, spending extra time to ensure they succeed and supporting them in their extracurricular activities. Teachers are the profession to teach all other professions. Welcome to Connect Canyons. I'm your host, frances Cook. This week, alta High mathematics teacher, kevin Clyde, was named as the 2024 Canyons District Teacher of the Year. We sat down with two former District Teachers of the Year, emma Moss and Max Eddington, who share their insights having held the year-long title and their advice to Mr Clyde, as well as to other educators. What has it meant to you to have been nominated as teacher of the year at the district level? So I?
Speaker 3:remember when I was nominated, I won in 2020. So we're in the middle of a pandemic, so I think I had a kind of a unique experience. But I remember calling my principal as I had made it through each successive round, and being like so this happened. And I just remember feeling like really excited for the opportunity that I had to just talk about teaching in more spaces. And I remember feeling really nervous because I had only been teaching for three years and so as I sat there, I remember coming in and just being like this is such an amazing opportunity to get to represent what teachers are and what they do and how much of an impact they make. And it seems funny now, but the thought I remember having was, as they were reading off who the winner was, like describing them, I was like this sounds like a really great person.
Speaker 3:And like looking at the two people next to me like, oh wow, this is cool stuff that you've done. And then having this moment that I was like they're talking about me and I think there's actually a picture where you can see the change on my face of like they're talking about who I am and I think then realizing that I had a chance to not only represent teaching but the incredible teachers here in Canyon School District and the amazing things that they do for their students, Awesome Max.
Speaker 2:how about you?
Speaker 4:I had a very similar experience, I would say, when this all kind of began. I felt a real sense of imposter syndrome about it. I don't know, I'm just a real kind of second guesser. And so I really had the reaction of like, well, thank you so much, but you're probably wrong about this Same thing. As it kind of progressed through these stages, it gave me a lot of confidence that I didn't really know that I was missing, kind of. It validated a lot of my teaching practices where you know I would often go home from work at the end of the day and just be like was that a good lesson, Was that a good tactic?
Speaker 4:You know, I tried something new today and I was always kind of second guessing, and this process over the last year has made me to kind of stop second guessing so much, Not to the point where I'm not still learning and growing, but to the point where I'm like, oh, I am good at this. I always thought that I was, and now I am actually convinced that I'm doing a good job at being a teacher. So that has meant a lot to me and you know, it's been fun to be celebrated and to have these. I've had some really cool opportunities this last year because of being teacher of the year. That has been, like you said, just really great to be able to talk about teaching. All of my friends and family will tell you. I will just monologue about teaching when nobody asked for it. So to be asked to talk about teaching in several different kind of capacities has been really amazing. I've enjoyed it a lot.
Speaker 2:Let's talk about that. So when you become Teacher of the Year, you almost become brand ambassadors of sorts. Tell me about your year. What has being teacher of the year involved?
Speaker 3:I think there are a lot of things that involved. I think, first and foremost, I really had a chance to talk about in more spaces why I loved teaching, whether that was with my students or with people in the district or people outside of the district. I have had and still continue to have, I think, because of my Teacher of the Year experience opportunities to talk with people about teaching, whether that was talking with state legislators and getting to sit with them as they pass legislation about teaching the bill that they passed about the 32-hour, the funding that comes from that. I got to sit on the House floor while that passed and sit and talk with people about why teaching matters, and then also just having a chance to represent what it means to be a teacher.
Speaker 3:I actually just came off of a teacher panel at UVU that's what I was doing about an hour ago and talking about my experiences in terms of being a first-year teacher and I think, especially where, like Max alluded to, I had a lot of imposter syndrome, especially because I had only been teaching for three years and the people sitting next to me it's like you have been teaching for 15.
Speaker 3:You have been teaching for like 25. Hello, I've been teaching for three, hi, but I think that also gave me a unique experience to talk about what it means to be a first year teacher and why it's worth continuing in education and why it's worth continuing to talk about those kind of elements in terms of like. I mean, I think Max would agree first year teaching is challenging. You learn a whole lot about yourself and then you I kind of equate it to like you know in the Grinch where it's like, and his heart grew so many sizes. I think that happened to me as a teacher and I think that Teacher of the Year amplified that, that I just found this capacity to love education so much more because I had opportunities to talk about it and represent it in a way that kind of got slingshotted into but absolutely loved.
Speaker 4:Yeah, again, very similar experience for me as well. I've also had a couple of opportunities to kind of dip my toe into the politics of education. Because of this, one of the coolest experiences I had this year was to go to the governor's mansion and speak with the spouses of legislators, you know, in a session where there's so much going on that pertains to education, to education, and they just asked me to go speak to them about what it is actually like being a teacher right now and what we need, what we're enjoying, what's going well and what's not. And to be able to share those things with people who have a real say about what happens in education in this state was amazing, and to be met with so much reception and such attention was awesome. I've also had so many just small conversations with especially new teachers that not even necessarily from our district, but just that. Have, you know, found me through social media or know a friend that knows me? That's like ask Max for advice about this.
Speaker 4:And I've had so many conversations one-on-one with many new teachers who are just like what do I do about this? I have this situation and I have no clue whatever, and it's made me reflect, also back to my first several years of teaching, where I remember in my program when I was doing grad school, one of my professors was like you're just going to have to accept that the first couple of years it's going to be really hard and you're not going to feel like you're very good at this. And my first few years I was like, whatever, I feel like I'm really good at this and I'm having a lot of fun. And I look back now and I'm like, no, I have grown so much since then and I've learned so many lessons just from having all of these different experiences over the years and I don't know, being kind of accessible as a person who's willing to talk about it and likes to talk about it.
Speaker 3:It's given me a lot of opportunities for these conversations that have meant a lot to me and, hopefully, the people that I've spoken with, I think too, especially like what you just talked about. I think that's such a positive quality that I find a lot when talking with people who are teacher of the year in some capacity, whether that's in their district or on a state level but they just have this love and positivity that just like exudes from them despite challenges that exist, like even though your first couple of years are hard, you love it because you're just like well, I'm going to try this thing and we're going to see how it goes and I'm going to learn right alongside with my students, and I think that's something that I've commonly seen in getting to have conversations and something I tell them is like continue to learn alongside of your students.
Speaker 2:So let's take that notion of teachers continuing to learn but also providing advice for one another. Let's take that one step farther, as we now have a new teacher of the year. What advice would you have for them, as they are accepting this, you know, well-deserved honor, but then, as they're moving forward throughout the year, I think if I could time travel and talk to myself a year ago, I would just say, max, you do deserve this.
Speaker 4:You know you are deserving of this recognition. You're good at this job. You're being recognized. It's not that everyone else is wrong about you. You do deserve this. You're good at teaching. I think that I yeah, I would like to just share that validation that I don't think you get through this process. I don't think, especially, you get through the first phase of this process of being nominated as teacher of the year for your school by mistake, because that is done by the students that you teach. And for me personally, that was probably the most meaningful part of the entire thing was reading the things that my students had written about me. So it's just, you know you deserve it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think it really was. So, like you are amazing, like if you've made it to this point. I remember having came back after and one of my students jumped on a it was a Google meet cause. We were in a pandemic and I still remember one of my students was like you're like the greatest teacher of everything, like I. At that point, where I was at, I was like this is incredible.
Speaker 3:But like, set the imposter syndrome aside, you are an incredible educator and enjoy the journey because it's going to be amazing. You're going to continue to learn about yourself and about others throughout this process and enjoy that time that you have the chance to continue to make a difference. I think most educators come to education because they want to make a difference for their students and for kids, because they love kids, and this is an opportunity to continue to do that. Just on a larger scale. Teacher of the Year really has provided me with an opportunity to see education in a larger space, and so I'm excited for whoever this year's winner is to be able to continue to learn and grow and make positive change for our community and beyond.
Speaker 2:You mentioned your student saying you were the best teacher of everything. What was it like stepping back into your classroom and seeing your students again after you were nominated?
Speaker 3:So for me, I had a very unique experience because I was online during the first part of the process and then we came back in and so when I was nominated as District Teacher of the Year, like my students just connected on Zoom so it wasn't really connecting back into the classroom, but it actually made it so much more wonderful because I felt like I had a lot more individual conversations and then by the time the next school year rolled around, all of my students knew who I was, which was a very unique experience. I knew who I was and that I was this great teacher. And then they got to go through the process of being nominated for the state and I feel like that that was such a fun thing to share with them. Like this is going to sound weird, but I got the email when I was at the dentist them like this is going to sound weird, but I got the email when I was at the dentist.
Speaker 3:I was like, and I remember sitting there and the first people that I wanted to tell was my students. It wasn't like my husband, it was my mom. And so I remember coming into like my TA class and being like so I have this email that I have to read to you, and I was like and I'm sharing it with you because I think that it's like one of the most like biggest things that ever happened to me and I don't know what to think about it. So it wasn't like taking away curriculum, because it was like my homeroom class. But I read through the email and I got through and my name was like the fourth person on the list because they had like put them in alphabetical order.
Speaker 3:So my students are like sitting on the edge of their seat and then I read them my name and they just like cheered and were so excited and it was like that moment that I got to share with them like this is, this is why I love this and then get to tell them that like the only reason I'm here is because I have people like you. Like I hope that they know how much like they made a difference for me in that moment and how much like I cared about them. And then it was so fun to go through the process with them, to then be like so it was just fun to share that experience with them and then. So it was just fun to share that experience with them and then to watch them be like, so my mom heard about you on the news and be like, yeah, that's me.
Speaker 3:Or like my mom or my dad works here or my grandma watches KSL and saw you on the morning news from our library, like certain things like that, and it was just like really tell me about it. And such a chance to connect with them and in new ways, to realize that, like I don't know, I would just tell them over and over again do you know that the only reason that I'm here is because of you? And they would be like what I'm like? Yes, really.
Speaker 3:And then getting to tell them that and I don't know. Kids are incredible, but just sharing that experience was great. That's beautiful.
Speaker 4:It was very special to go through this with my students. Probably they're the people that I talked to the most about this, because they're always asking questions and wanting updates and everything. But I think what meant the most to me was that you know you get so used in teaching. I teach eighth grade and I think that this is I think that this is kind of ubiquitous across all grades, but eighth graders especially do not tell adults in their life how much they appreciate them. It's just not really in their mental repertoire at that time, right. And so to be told by my students that I'm appreciated in this way was so moving to me, students that I'm appreciated in this way, was so moving to me. And I'm very just vocal with them about how much I care about them and how much I believe in them and I just try to.
Speaker 4:My mentality is always treat them like they're my nieces and nephews or my cousins.
Speaker 4:You know what I mean. That's kind of how I think of them and I don't get a lot of that back, which is fine, and I know that that's just kind of part of teaching eighth grade, of that back, which is fine, and I know that that's just kind of part of teaching eighth grade and to be able to you know when I got, when I won teacher of the year, to just tell them, like you guys found a way to communicate back to me that I'm appreciated and it was so moving and to be able to thank them for that and validate to them that, like telling adults who make a positive impact in your life that they have made a positive impact in your life is more meaningful than you even understand, like it was really fun to have those conversations and to see them not be so guarded and awkward about it but to just be, you know, outwardly, vocally supportive of me was really cool. I didn't know that I needed that from 13 and 14 year olds.
Speaker 3:I think, too, that you bring up such a valid point, um that for this new teacher of the year, have the conversations with your students. There's going to be a part of you, that's like, do I tell? Them, tell them please tell them, talk to them, tell them why, why you love teaching, because that will be such a big thing for you and for them.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I think it's brought me. I think I have a closer relationship with my students from this last year than I maybe ever have, and I think a big part of that was this process, because it's just caused the opportunity for a lot of conversation about mutual appreciation and love and respect.
Speaker 2:That's beautiful. You brought up the state level, so, on the same vein of advice, you were both runners up for the state teacher of the year as well. What can this year's teacher of the year expect next?
Speaker 3:this year's Teacher of the Year expect next. So next in the process you will get an application and it is a very long application. I will not sugarcoat that. It's a lot of work but absolutely worth it. But it is a lot of work. There is going to be a lot of information that you're going to need to get about demographics and about you and about your educational experience. But I think the best part of the application and Max may correct me here, but is the opportunity you have to answer the essay questions. So there's essay questions where you have a chance to talk about your classroom and what you do and the message that you're going to share about education, and that is something that's really important.
Speaker 3:The committee they have a committee that will look and review these and then that's who they select the finalists for is based solely on that writing, and I don't know about you, max, but I spent a lot of time on those essays. There was a lot of wordsmithing that happened. Some of the questions I remember. One of them asks about like what message will you share with education? There's another one that asks about what makes you unique as a teacher and I actually asked, like my colleagues, and on the end of your feedback survey. I put it for my students what makes me unique as a teacher and took what they said and what my colleagues said and formulated what I felt and I think that perspective really helped knowing just because, like Max has alluded to, you're going to feel kind of like an imposter at times in this process and so having that reinforcement of like, yes, this is really who I am and what I think is important about education.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that application. When I first saw kind of what was coming to continue on, I was like, oh boy, this is a lot of homework, it feels like for over the summer. But it was one of my favorite parts of the summer was completing this application, because writing those essays kind of caused me to verbalize what I actually think about teaching in a way that I've never been asked to do before and I also took it very seriously, I think partly because I wanted to continue on and this was all very exciting, but also because it was just really fulfilling for me to think about these things and to write them down. I even this is so dramatic, but I was visiting.
Speaker 4:I went to middle school in Arizona and my parents still live down there and I was visiting them while I was writing these essays and I was, I just drove to my middle school where I went to middle school and parked in the parking lot and just sat there and just tried to remember what it was like to be 13 or 14 at this school and I had just a really amazing experience kind of connecting with like younger Max versus who I've become now, working with kids that age, and one of my essays included kind of a rundown of the teachers that changed my life while I was growing up and I sent it to them, tracked down not all of them, but I was able to track down several of them and send them the essay and be like the thing that you did for me has caused me to now be able to do this for other kids, and that, I mean, is there a better full circle than that?
Speaker 4:I love that. If one of my students came back and told me that you know, that would just be so fulfilling and it was because I was writing essays for an application, it was so meaningful. Honestly, I really enjoyed the process and I didn't expect it to be so fulfilling and meaningful.
Speaker 3:That's great, I think, for me as well. I think it's interesting that you mentioned that you sent like thank you letters. I did the same thing, Like I sent one to my sixth grade teacher and to a counselor at my middle school and um a high school teacher and one of my college professors, because those were the people that had made a difference for me.
Speaker 3:And I said I want you to know I'm here because you talked to me about teaching and know the way you treated me as a student. So it's interesting for me to hear because I haven't heard that from others that that's the experience, a similar experience that you had, that I said, especially when I made it. Mine kind of came after when I made it to state level and I said I'm here, but I want you to know that I'm here because of what you did and yeah, I hope someday that I made that difference for my students, that I was that kind of teacher for them.
Speaker 2:That's fantastic. Anything else you guys want to add?
Speaker 4:Being a teacher is fun.
Speaker 3:Teaching is the best. Just have some confidence in yourself and know that this is it, like this is your moment, and enjoy that, and enjoy the chance that you get to speak about education because, like my, teaching is the best.
Speaker 4:Yeah, and I would just say that we've chosen a profession that is not. We are not in the limelight often. We kind of run away from the limelight most of the time. I would say I think a teacher being celebrated publicly is like oxymoronic in a way. It just feels like the antithesis of what we're trying to do. But what a cool opportunity, because it doesn't happen often as a teacher that you are truly recognized and thanked for what you've done. So just bask in the glow honestly and, you know, give yourself a pat on the back for what you're doing.
Speaker 2:Thank you for listening. We're grateful our district has so many high caliber teachers who are passionate about what they do. As Max and Emma said, imposter syndrome can be real and we want to thank each and every educator throughout Canyons and congratulations to this year's Teachers of the Year. If there's a topic you would like to hear discussed, send us an email to communications at canyonsdistrictorg.
Speaker 1:Thanks for listening to this episode of Connect Canyons. Connect with us on Twitter, facebook or Instagram at Canyons District or on our website, canyonsdistrictorg.
