A 6th-grade teacher at Soldotna Elementary is in the running to win Reader’s Digest’s annual award for “America’s Favorite Teacher.” Elizabeth Terry loves teaching and is excited about the opportunity to be named “favorite teacher.”
“The children make me feel like I’m their favorite, and they’re wonderful,” says Terry.
The annual contest put on by one of the country’s largest and oldest publications takes votes from website visitors to determine which teacher in America is kids’ favorite.
According to Terry, teaching is much more than just a profession; it’s an act of service. “If you’re a teacher, then you’re called to be a servant. It’s really a calling. It’s not just a job.”
She ties her gift for teaching back to her childhood, and how wanting to have children one day translated into a love of serving kids and families as a teacher. “When I was a little girl, I just wanted to be a mother, and so I paired wanting to be a mother with being a school teacher.”
Terry takes the role very seriously, understanding that as a teacher she bears the trust of kids’ parents. “I just keep in the forefront of my mind that someone is entrusting me with their child.”
To find out who locks up the top spot in this year’s contest, follow “America’s Favorite Teacher” on the Reader’s Digest website.
Cover photo and audio courtesy of KTUU.