(article by Matt Ward, Millard County Chronicle Progress)
Mrs. Tisha Edwards selected as Millard School District’s Teacher of the Year for 2024-2025
Boredom almost caused one local preschool teacher to change jobs.
Tisha Edwards was about a decade into her career, preparing youngsters ages 3 to 5 for the long education road ahead of them. But she wanted more from the job.
It was only after she confided to her teaching aid what she’d been mulling that her outlook changed. “I said to my aide, I am really sick of this. I don’t think I can do this anymore. I’m really bored,” Tisha, who teaches at Delta South Elementary School, recently recalled. “She said to me – she gave me some good advice – she said, but it’s not boring to the kids. The kids every year come in and it’s always new to them. They’re not bored. That kind of changed my outlook on it a little bit. It’s exciting to them every single year.”
Two decades later, 31 years into her career, Tisha was rewarded not only for her perseverance, but more so for being an outstanding educator to generations of Millard School District students. The district honored her Thursday, August 8, 2024, by naming her the district’s Teacher of the Year.
Cary Edwards, Tisha’s husband and a science and PE teacher at Delta Middle School, joined his wife during a brief ceremony during last week’s regular board of education meeting. “Tisha is as good as it gets,” said David Styler, the district’s superintendent. “She is a great example, a great representative of all our great teachers.”
Duane Rawlinson, Delta South’s principal, started his education career at the same time Tisha did. He heaped praise on his colleague and her outstanding work with the area’s youngest of students. “She has been with 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds for 31 years. And I think that is just phenomenal,” Rawlinson said. “What’s really cute is her preschool kids are bringing back their kids and some of their kids are bring back their kids.”
The principal called Tisha her students’ biggest cheerleader, their biggest supporter, and the person who lays those first bricks in their education launching pad. “She’s been such an influence. The thing about Tisha is she knows her students. Those kids thrive under her,” Rawlinson said. “She knows those kids. They walk in, they’re greeted, they’re happy. Sure, we have some who cry at the beginning, but within a couple of days, she’s got them settled and they’re excited to go to school. It’s such a good beginning for those little kids. It sets a tone for the rest of the time they are in school.”
Tisha admits she and her fellow preschool instructors think of themselves as ground zero for their students’ future learning endeavors. “We are usually there for school experience. And if we can make them excited and prepared and happy about going to kindergarten, then we are doing our job,” she said.
Rawlinson said he initially thought about nominating all of his faculty at Delta South to be teacher of the year. He eventually decided not to and thought Tisha was a wonderful representative of the kind of quality educators he works with every day. “We are very happy with the person who was selected, which is Tisha. She’s a very good representative of the kind of caliber of teacher we have at Delta South,” Rawlinson said.
A plaque, handshakes, and a group photo followed Tisha’s award ceremony. Chad Warnick, A Delta Technical Center ag sciences teacher, was present at the ceremony. He won the honor in 2022, and was awarded the Utah State Teacher of the Year award in 2023.
