LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Dawn Ward was nominated anonymously.

First and foremost, Ms. Ward builds strong relationships with both the students and their parents. Her goal is to connect with each of her students in some way. Building positive relationships with parents starts with sharing positive news from school about their child! She gives her students little notes that they take home to brag to their parents about something positive they did. That way, if she has to make negative calls, they're less uncomfortable, and parents are more willing to work with her because she has established a positive relationship with them.

She begins her year with a lesson about the importance of words, using a tube of toothpaste. She wants to help her students understand that her classroom is a safe place to make mistakes because that is how they learn. By getting to know her students, she uses what she knows about them to help them become experts in something at some point. That farm kid may not be a strong reader, but he understands a great deal about animals and plants. Those less than confident students need to be called on when they feel confident about the topic. Eventually, they grow braver, and those hands go up more and more. But all in all, it comes down to the teacher not demanding their respect, but by respecting them and earning theirs.

She will be moving from second to fourth-grade science and has been blessed by the positive messages she has received from former parents who will have her again. That is the ultimate compliment. She is looking forward to the opportunity to teach hands-on activities that the students can get excited about!

Ms. Ward is entering her 25th year as an educator. She has formerly taught first grade and served as a principal in a Catholic school. Most recently, she has spent the last decade teaching second grade. This will be her first year teaching middle school.