KIDK’s Teacher of the Month: Sarah Hendry
More than 300 of you sent us an overwhelming number of nominations for teachers you think deserve to win our “Teacher of the Month” award.
Our team at KIDK saw one teacher from Idaho Falls who received more nominations than anyone else, making this month’s winner Falls Valley Elementary School fourth grade teacher Sarah Hendry.
Hendry says she was inspired to become a teacher after watching her grandmother turn struggling readers in the community into voracious bookworms.
She says this sparked her passion for going above and beyond for her students, often working weekends and holidays.
“I had some amazing examples in my life,” Hendry said. “Now, I want to be an amazing example for these kids and a safe adult they can come to long after they’re in my class. They can always come to me.”
She says her focus on keeping her classroom a “safe haven” for kids who need it most is critical since she sees a large number of kids who experience some form of emotional trauma in their lives.
“Sometimes it’s very difficult to make sure we are providing them with a classroom where they feel safe and loved since sometimes we have to do that way before we can ever get into the ‘ABC’s’.”
This focus on safety in her classroom has spilled into the rest of the school since Hendry also started the first after-school program offering kids an array of subjects to help them find a new passion or talent they can pursue.
This includes everything from taekwondo, chess, art, coding, stop-action movie-making, etc.
However, the long hours before and after work are getting her recognized.
KIDK, in connection with Valley Office Systems in Idaho Falls, Connections Credit Union and Domino’s Pizza, all came together to honor Hendry for her dedication to her students.
Hendry is the first Teacher of the Month winner, and there are three more KIDK will be randomly drawing before the end of the school year.
At the end of each school year, the KIDK team will randomly draw one of the winners’ names who will win $1,000 for their school, thanks to our generous sponsors.
To nominate a deserving teacher, you can submit their names here.
