Congratulations to October's Teacher of the Month, Jeff Sawatzky of Paynesville Area Secondary School! Mr. Sawatzky is a sixth grade teacher at the school.

Sawatzky was nominated by his student, Rory:

"Mr. Sawatzky makes the classroom even more fun even if it is learning math. We get to play games and listen to music. His jokes are just enough to make us laugh, even if they are really bad dad jokes!"

Mr. Sawatzky is a math and science teacher at Paynesville while also coaching cross country and track. On his bio page, he says his philosophy as a teacher is "comprised primarily of three things: every child is an individual and must be taught accordingly, students need to be fluent in basic skills, and student learning is not to be limited to generalized facts and data."

Our winning teacher was presented with gift cards to Coyote Moon Grill, Concrete Image Salon and Great Harvest Bread, along with a commemorative plaque from All Star Trophy and Awards.

Let's face it, teachers this have faced more challenges than ever during this past year and they all deserve a little more recognition. If you know of an educator who is consistently going above and beyond the call of duty, you can nominate them for Teacher of the Month HERE.

It could be your child's teacher, someone who taught you in the past that made an impact on your life, your neighbor who is a teacher... really, any instructor who you feel deserves some extra kudos. You don't need to write a novel to nominate someone, a couple of sentences will do, so don't be nervous!

The form takes just a couple of seconds to fill out and could lead to a lifetime memory for that special teacher in your life.

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