HANNAH BOWYER-RIVETTE: To learn more about Kiersten’s incredible impact on her student Payton, we spoke with Payton’s dad, Anthony. He shared what inspired him to nominate Kiersten and reflected on Payton’s growth in communication. Kiersten’s impact goes beyond the students— she also empowers parents and families, giving them the guidance and confidence they need to support their children’s growth.

ANTHONY AHUMADA: Over the years, she’s taught our son Payton, and he’s had tremendous growth. Not just his life skills in so many other areas and his verbal skills.

ANTHONY AHUMADA: But with talking to Kiersten and I always thought she was an amazing teacher. Outside of school, she’s actually really helped us a lot. We’ve done and put together events for kids with autism, people with disabilities, and she’s always been there to help. Just so much that she’s willing to help and kind of guide us with how to work with kids and how to work with Payton and things that she’s learned over the years. And there was one day in conversation and us talking and I think it was a bad day that day she had had. And I had told her, honestly, with what you do, you deserve an award for what you do. And since then, she’s done so much. There’s things you see with kids and things we’ve seen with her. At events, we’ve seen children that she taught when she first started with the district. Now they’re 11, 12, 13 years old, and they run up to her. The impact she actually had on those kids is the same impact I see she had on my son Payton.

HANNAH BOWYER-RIVETTE: Kiersten has a gift for recognizing the individuality of her students. She creates an empathetic and respectful environment where her students can feel safe to learn and grow. Kiersten shares more about how she approaches the individuality of her students and the passion she feels for treating each kid as her own.

KIERSTEN WOOD: One thing that I always explain to people, they’ll ask me, “Oh, so you work with Johnny here and little Sally here, are they similar? “And I always tell anyone that asks me, I say, when you work with special needs kids, and especially children that have autism or are on the spectrum, they’re all different. They’re all very, very different children. And so you never really run across two that are alike. And so I always explain to people, you have to foster an environment for them where you have empathy for them, you have respect for them, and everything that you do for them is individualized. And so you really just love them. And I don’t have children of my own. And so whenever anyone asks me, “Do you have any kids?” And I tell them, I say, “Yeah, I have 15 of them, and they all go home at 2:30.” And so you try to create strong and lasting connections with these students, and it helps them academically and it helps them socially, and that’s really what we’re trying to do with them. When parents send their kids to school every day, they expect that they’re going to be safe; they expect that they’re going to be loved. And if that’s all that I provide for them in that day, then I feel like I’ve done my job. Yes, I’m there to teach them. I’m there to work on these goals that we’ve formed for them, and yes, that is my job, but I also want to make sure that they’re happy when they’re there. And so if I can provide that environment for them, then I feel like I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing. I always have this thought that those kids that are with me, some of them are dropped off at 7:30, some of them are dropped off at 8 o’clock, and on a typical day, they’re with me until 2:30. Those kids are with me for more hours of their waking day than they are with their parents, Monday through Friday. And their parents are instilling a lot of trust in me. 

KIERSTEN WOOD: And because a lot of my kiddos, they don’t have language and they can’t go home and tell their mom or their dad or their aunt or their uncle or their grandparents, whoever’s raising them, this is what I did at school today. You know, this is how I felt. And so I hope that through their emotion and through their body language, if they don’t have the verbal language that they can show to their parents that they have a good relationship with their teacher or a good relationship with the paraprofessional that’s there at school. So I hope that the relationship that I build with them is shown in many different ways to the parents when they go home.

HANNAH BOWYER-RIVETTE: The positive impact of Kiersten’s teaching on Payton has been witnessed both inside and outside of the classroom. Anthony has seen his son’s remarkable social growth and has been able to build a deeper relationship with him. Through Kiersten’s guidance, Anthony has also gained knowledge about autism, helping him better understand and connect with his son.

ANTHONY AHUMADA: He used to be very, he kept to himself, he was very introverted, and he didn’t really interact with our other boys. And him and I didn’t really have a bonding relationship. He kind of would segregate himself. And with learning and being involved in the interaction she had with him really helped him sprout. And you can see where he’s blossomed, and his happiness. Just radiance is everywhere now, and at his school, everybody knows him. And it’s funny because when everybody sees him, it’s a smile. It’s Payton. And it’s been a huge impact that she’s had on him, from teaching of friendship and helping us.

HANNAH BOWYER-RIVETTE: Expanding on Kiersten’s commitment to building connections with her students, Payton’s mom, Samantha, shares her gratitude for the time Kiersten spends teaching her son. She has watched Payton’s social skills blossom, not just at home but throughout the school as well.

SAMANTHA AHUMADA: And like she said, she does spend a majority of the time with him, more time than we do. So as much as she’s so kind to say that, it’s things we do here at home, or as parents, I feel a lot equal, if not more, is things they do at school with him and that she does with him. So yeah, everything from trying to be more social, or interaction with brothers, interaction with adults. Before, it was just the two of us that he would interact with, and like Anthony said, it was very minimal for him and Payton until recently. So with her and the staff, and all school staff, like he said, everybody knows him, we go into the office, “Oh, good morning, Payton,” whether it’s this front secretary or the school nurse or the cafeteria ladies. And to me, it’s nice to hear that he does interact with all these different people that he sees throughout his day. A big part of that is coming from Kiersten. It’s something important for him to learn. And she, really pushes that, whether it’s set in his IEP goal or it’s something we have talked about in conversation, she’s always willing to work with us, and us with her on things we want him to do, things we know he’s able to do, things we’ve seen him do, and kind of keep building on it.

HANNAH BOWYER-RIVETTE: Beyond the classroom, Kiersten is passionate about participating in the community. In working with Payton’s parents, they have supported the community through sensory-friendly events. By creating events for kids with disabilities in mind, they ensure that all children can participate in these fun experiences. Beyond events, they also have held a backpack drive to give away school supplies for students in their school. Through their dedication to their community, Kiersten and Payton’s parents have been able to foster a meaningful relationship outside of the classroom.

KIERSTEN WOOD: So that’s actually something that Samantha and Anthony have helped me with. So they kind of have helped me get into that. They’ve been wonderful in doing stuff with the community also. A couple of years ago, about three years ago, they came up with this idea.

KIERSTEN WOOD: And so, because a child with autism may not be able to go do it, well, neither can they’re siblings sometimes. And so they came up with this idea of, let’s do a sensory-friendly Pancakes with Santa type event. And they asked me, they said, “Can you help us?” And then I said, “Yeah, let’s do it.” And so we got together, and we did a big event, and we did a sensory-friendly Pancakes with Santa ordeal. And by the grace of them, every kiddo that came got a Christmas present, and siblings were welcome. They had arts and crafts, and it was a really fun event. Then we did another one about a year later for Halloween. And the great thing about that is kids, all ages were allowed to attend. From birth to, or not even kids adults too. If they were 25, they could come, and so it was really nice for them because there were no restrictions, and there wasn’t crazy lights going, loud music, stuff like that. So it was really, really nice for the community, and people had expressed that there was never anything like that for them to come to. And so it was difficult for those families that had kiddos that weren’t comfortable going to the other events. And I had some of my previous students attend, and so it was really great to be able to see them. But yeah, so it was really good to get some input from the community about those type events and whatnot. And then, at our most recent back-to-school night, we were able to give away a ton of backpacks with school supplies in them to our students at the school that Payton attends and I teach at. So those are some things that we’ve done together for the community.

HANNAH BOWYER-RIVETTE: When the COVID pandemic hit, Payton’s progress in the classroom came to a halt as in-person learning shut down. Anthony reflects on the challenges of that time and the impact on Payton’s growth. Returning to the classroom after the pandemic was invaluable for Payton to regain momentum and build a solid foundation for learning through Kiersten’s support.

ANTHONY AHUMADA: During COVID, Payton had just started school, and he, like everybody, ended up sheltering in place. So it crumbled extremely fast, and he had to start all over.

ANTHONY AHUMADA: And it was as scary for me as it is for him, I know. I was always until now, I’m still very protective of him. And I travel a lot, but it used to stress me when he would go to school or things. And I feel fantastic knowing where he’s at because he’s not just a student; he’s not just a person; he’s Payton, and to her, and to Kiersten and her staff, he’s somebody special. And everybody’s somebody special. So they all treat everybody, but for Payton to be able to have had that platform built is what’s going to fundamentally have him grow and continue in that direction. So I couldn’t ask for anything better, or anyone better, to have helped him build that. And I would, honestly, I would love to take the credit. I’m not going to lie. Everybody would. But it is 100% exactly like she said. She does spend more time with these kids than the parents do, and I couldn’t ask for anybody better for him to have spent that time with over these years. And I wish he can stay either until he was 20 years old, 18 years old in her class. And trust me, I think I’ve tried and asked, but the foundation she helped build, and she did build, is what’s literally gone to where he’s at. And I’m excited for him to continue growing because of that excitement he has from her. And it’s amazing to see where he’s at, and the interaction and the things he talks about now.

HANNAH BOWYER-RIVETTE: During our conversation with Kiersten, she expressed her gratitude for the parents and guardians who play a crucial role in her students’ success. Without their hard work and dedication, she wouldn’t be able to be a source of growth for her students. For Kiersten, teaching is truly a partnership that is made stronger through families committing to furthering their children’s education.

KIERSTEN WOOD: Something that I like to always remind parents is that I do do a lot for these kids. And parents constantly give me credit for the progress that their kids have made. But something that I always try to remind parents is that without them, I couldn’t do what I do. They are the ones that get the kids up every morning, get them dressed, get them on the bus or either drive them to school. And so yes, I do a lot for these kids in the classroom, but I always try to remind parents to give yourself credit too, pat yourself on the back. Because without what you do every day, I couldn’t do what I do.

HANNAH BOWYER-RIVETTE: Thank you so much for listening and joining us today to learn more about Kiersten Wood, our April Honoree and recipient of the Honored National Teaching Award. To read more about her story, you can visit our website at honored.org or click the link in the episode description. If you have a teacher who you want to recognize and nominate for our teaching award, you can head to honored.org/nominate to recognize a teacher today. If you enjoyed today’s episode, you can follow us and leave us a review on whatever podcast platform you’re listening in from. Thanks again for listening, and make sure to tune in next month to hear the incredible story of our May Honoree.