Lisa Wight

Fifth grade teacher Lisa Wight of Rockton has taught 10 of her 11 years of teaching at Durand Elementary School. She went from a young student failing two subjects, hating school and thinking she could do no right to a Golden Apple finalist thanks to a teacher, who changed her life. “She never focused on what I couldn’t do, rather she conveyed to me what I could do. I knew when I had finished my fifth grade year that I wanted to be a teacher. I wanted to change someone’s life.”  An encounter of students she taught seven years ago assured Lisa that she’d accomplished her goal. One girl plans to become a teacher because of Lisa. She “kept talking about how I was one of the only teachers who listened to her. She told me she probably wouldn’t have continued school if it weren’t for me.” Lisa’s students all know what they’ll learning each day as they read “I Can” statements that match what she’ll be teaching. Lisa considers students’ families key team members “to help their child develop emotionally and academically” as they also act as teachers in their child’s life.  She invites them to participate in and out of the classroom. Remember when visits to the principal’s office were dreaded? Well, Lisa sends her students to the office for positive visits, with notes explaining the positive behavior and how proud she is of them. “Students are so excited to see the principal and receive a positive note home from her. When I announce who is going down to the office, my whole class chants [name of student] is awesome!” Principal Shanna Rufener commends Lisa for how she looks for end eagerly accepts feedback.  “After many years of teaching, she continues to understand the value of best teaching practices in her classroom.”  Additionally, she wrote that, “all of her students, no matter their skill levels, feel confident and inspired to do their best work in her classroom because they know that she believes in them and will support them in any way possible.”  One retired teacher who observed Lisa’s classroom felt that she had “discovered everything and the kitchen sink to help her student [the topic] and it’s working!” Her lesson included a role-playing game to illustrate the topic. The observer noted that, “this is the kind of ‘fun’ that kids remember for a long time.”