LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Lisa Dietrich

Position: Retiring Kindergarten Teacher
School: Lawton Elementary School
School District: Lawton Community Schools
City, State: Lawton, MI

Support Lisa Leave a comment Get Updates

Music that Describes Lisa

Lisa Dietrich was nominated by her superintendent, Christopher Rice.

In her 30+ years of teaching at Lawton Elementary School, Ms. Dietrich has embodied the spirit of a LifeChanger. Most of her career has been spent giving kindergarten students the love, support, and skills needed to be successful. Ms. Dietrich is loved by every student and parent she has the opportunity to serve. Her support is so extensive that she is the first educator in her district to ever receive three nominations for the Education Hero award, which is given annually by the Intermediate School District. One of those nomination letters shared this:

"Ms. Dietrich has built a reputation of respect in Lawton among the teachers, students, and parents alike. She is incredibly hard-working, pours herself into her students, and expects the absolute best out of them. She is caring, thoughtful, and devoted to being her best self for her students, and they absolutely adore her. Ms. Dietrich looks to build others up, to create community among the faculty, and to absolutely radiate positivity and joy in every conversation she engages in. She is a true educational hero."

In addition to her incredible skills in the classroom, Ms. Dietrich has become a mentor to many of her district's younger teachers. Her wisdom, guidance, and support have been invaluable to these individuals and helped them become master teachers, as well.

"She has never stopped mentoring me, encouraging me, or supporting me, even though her official duties would have allowed her to do so three years ago," said one of her mentees. "As my mentor, Lisa has gone above and beyond to listen when I needed someone to listen, to give advice when I didn’t know what the next right step was, to shower me with encouragement, and to always be honest with me so that I could be the best teacher I could possibly be. From day one, she has always had my best interest at heart. There are no words to describe just how deeply Lisa has impacted my professional career, but more importantly, the way she has impacted my life. She inspires me to be a better teacher and a better human being, every single day."

"Some claim that everyone is replaceable. Lisa is living proof that this is untrue," said Rice. "Her legacy on Lawton Elementary School and the hundreds of students she has touched will live on."

435 520 482 473 503

Comments (5)

Lesley Welburn Posted over a year ago

I had the privilege of working with Lisa in many different arenas. As a colleague in Kindergarten for the past couple of years, as mentor to me in my early years at Lawton Elementary, but I was also fortunate enough to be a student in her first class as a 4th grade teacher. Even in the early years of her career, Lisa quickly became the favorite teacher of many of her students. She found creative ways to make learning fun, meaningful, and memorable. That year, I suffered an injury to my hand, and Lisa went out of her way to make accommodations to help me be successful. That was not uncommon for her. She often goes above and beyond for her students. Looking back my inspiration for becoming a teacher, I know that it began to shape that year in 4th grade with Lisa.

Heather Posted over a year ago

Lisa is a positive light that naturally leads by example with her strength, wisdom, courage, compassion, and joy for life and the education profession! She is an intuitive person and can easily sense the needs of her students as well as her colleagues. She selflessly strives to provide those around her with what they need to be successful. Her classroom has provided a safe, loving, and peaceful learning environment for many students! As a part of her team I was blessed with countless opportunities to learn from one of the best! Lisa is, without a doubt, an inspirational leader that has impacted more lives than she will ever know! Her legacy is one that I will forever strive to live up to! Lisa, thank you for being the profoundly beautiful human being that you are!

Christine Juszczyk Posted over a year ago

In the words of England Dan and John Ford Coley (1970's musical duo), LOVE IS THE ANSWER!. The question? What makes Lisa Dietrich such a LifeChanger? All that Lisa does for every child, every parent, every colleague is done with love! Lisa works entirely from her heart and shows it to all each day! Her mere presence is loving, soothing, and welcoming! She works tirelessly to provide the most positive, organized, and nurturing environment for her students! As the Physical Education teacher in our building, I have seen Lisa's students in the gym for all of her teaching years. I continue to be amazed at the level of growth in her students from the start of a school year to the end! She sets such high expectations for her students who are excited to work and learn for her and from her! Lisa has earned the love and respect of our entire community and touches everyone's heart! Lisa is equally loyal and loving to her colleagues! Her mentorship to younger teachers, and school-wide involvement allow her to willingly share her valuable insights! She has a wealth of knowledge, both professional and personal, and many colleagues have leaned on her when needing guidance. I have not met a more deserving person for this recognition! She will be leaving a legacy unmatched by others, and the lives touched by Lisa will be forever changed.

Leslie Holder Posted over a year ago

I have had the honor of being mentored for many years by Lisa Dietrich. She is a role model like no other. Her life as a mom, a teacher, and a friend have influenced and greatly blessed me. Lisa's presence in the classroom and throughout the building is one of passion, energy, and love. She expresses herself from the heart in every conversation, in how she talks to her students, and how she relates to staff. Lisa takes into account every angle when making plans for lessons, special events, meeting with parents, and preparing for the beginning of the school year. She wants everything to go seemlessly and if it doesn't, she is so clever and creative to roll with the bunches and be flexible in the moment. I admire Lisa Dietrich for her unbelievable ability to connect and relate to people, her love for watching her students learn and grow, and for her genuine desire to find the good in every situation.

Andrea Oswald Posted over a year ago

I wouldn't even know where to begin when describing Lisa. She is so many beautiful things all wrapped in one: strong, encouraging, honest, nurturing, passionate, and funny. Being around Lisa, whether you are a student, parent, or colleague, means you are enveloped in her love, pushed to be your very best, and simply better off just for having been in her presence. Lisa radiates light and is the definition of what it means to be a lifechanger.