UACTE Teacher of the Year - Mrs. Crandall

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Article found here: http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/education/precollegiate/maple-mountain-teacher-surprised-with-uacte-teacher-of-the-year/article_487ed1ee-b8ae-53f0-919e-d96080d91519.html

Career and technical education in Utah have a place in Utah schools, and some of the best teachers can be found there.

Kathryn Crandall, teacher at Maple Mountain High School (MMHS) in Nebo School District, was awarded the Utah Association Career and Technology Education (UACTE) Teacher of the Year from the Work-based Learning division at the UACTE Conference held Feb. 5-6 in St. George.

Nominated in December by Robyn Dunn, who is over Work-Based Learning in Nebo School District, Crandall only heard she was receiving the award just before she left for the St. George conference.

“I was very surprised and did not expect it at all,” Crandall said. “It makes me a little sheepish because there are so many great teachers out there.”

Crandall earned the award because of the work she is doing with students in her Early Childhood Education class. She trains them to write lesson plans, work at Maple Mountain’s preschool and intern at other preschools.

Crandall wears many hats at Maple Mountain. In addition to her childhood development class, she teaches sewing, and family and consumer science, and is the school’s department chair over the career and technical education (CTE) program. Maple Mountain has only been open since 2009, but Crandall has been there since its opening. She’s been a teacher for almost 25 years, and came over to the school from Springville Junior High at Principal John Penrod’s request.

“When I found out high school students could earn their Child Development Associate (CDA), I became very excited to implement and support students in their endeavors to become certified while still in high school. I jumped right onto the new curriculum by collaborating with other teachers, including kindergarten teachers to see what my students would need to be prepared to teach preschool,” Crandall said.

Penrod backed Crandall’s vision, and helped arrange funding for a small preschool playground at the school. Now, under her tutelage, Crandall’s students can earn their CDA, by completing 450 hours of work-based learning and teaching in the preschool class. The students create a collection of their lesson plans and notes from class, keep tracking sheets from working, and then must pass the CDA test.

“Many of my students are preparing to teach preschool, Head Start or to become an elementary school teacher. Several students are interested in the pediatric medical field and are taking this course to further their education with their career plans,” Crandall said.

It was no surprise to Maple Mountain administration that Crandall won the award in February.

“She’s also a mentor teacher, and has been doing that for years. She’s a natural leader at our school. She’s just incredible,” said DeAnn Nielsen, vice principal at Maple Mountain.

As careers have evolved over the years, CTE has evolved as well. CTE programs now encompass business, computer programming and photography classes as well as the standard woodworking, welding and cooking classes.

“These students, they come out of high school and can get a job. Students in the programming classes can get a $50,000 to $60,000 a year job right out of high school. Others can get a job when they leave here and put themselves through school,” said David Knudsen, vice principal at Maple Mountain.

For those who teach CTE, they are committed to the life and work skills students gain in their classes.

“For me, CTE programs are incredible. They make great careers for these kids, and also give them great life skills. Kathryn won the award for her life skills class, and these are all things they can use in their personal life, as well as a career,” Nielsen said.

Crandall loves the way CTE classes can “spark an interest” in potential careers for her students. She also loves how CTE shows students the useful applications of their other academic classes.

“The CTE classes are ‘hands on.’ In Early Childhood Education, the students are writing … their lesson plans to include stations in language, math, science, music, dramatic play, art, and are using large and fine motor skills,” Crandall said. “I've also taught Clothing 1 and 2, and Textile Design Entrepreneurship, and those three classes take non-stop math. I’ll overhear some students talking to each other, saying they didn't know they had signed up for another math class. All of these classes are supportive of a cross-curricular environment for students.”

With award-winning teachers come amazing students, and Maple Mountain has had its fair share of state winners in Family, Career, Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) competitions. Recently, Sarie Cook was a first place winner in Utah and took second place at the National FCCLA, earning a scholarship. Kayla Sleight and McKenna Holmes earned first place in Utah as well, and McKenna earned a gold medal at the National FCCLA Conference. Haley Andrew won a full year of tuition at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, and two years scholarship at any art institute after winning first place at the National FCCLA Conference last summer.

Crandall isn’t the only one in Nebo getting noticed for her work. Salem Hills High family and child care teacher Laurie Hansen also was awarded (UACTE) Teacher of the Year from the Family and Consumer Science (FACS) division.

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