Nominated by: Daxton

Mrs Tykwinski is every parents and child's dream come true. I have an 8yr old son named Daxton. Daxton is both adhd and autistic. He is an incredibly smart, loving and kind kid but has struggled with social/emotional skills and some big behaviors. We actually started with Mrs Tykwinski last year in the second grade. At that time Dax spent a lot more time in his special education classroom then in the general education class with her. Mrs Tykwinski still managed to build a relationship with him, came to all his meetings and made him(and us) feel very comfortable and welcomed in her class. I felt so blessed that he had her. Then this summer when teacher assignments for third grade were coming out we were told Mrs Tykwinski had been asked to move to the third grade this year and when she agreed to do so she actually asked if she could have Dax in her class again. She had built a bond with Daxton and felt she had much more that she could do for him. I get tears in my eyes just writing that. This was huge for Dax since change is extremely difficult for him. A lot of teachers might have told the next yrs teachers about this difficult child coming up to warn them but instead she wanted to continue to help Daxton herself. This year has been an incredible year for Daxton. He went from hardly being in general education classroom to being with his class and Mrs Tykwinski for 90% of his day. We didn't even believe that was something that was ever going to be a possibility for him but her love and guidance has made Daxton want to be in there and to fully participate. She has a harder class this yr with 24 kids and 14 of them being very active boys. Mrs Tykwinski handles everything with grace, compassion and always has a smile on her face. Seriously, I dont know that I've ever seen her without her big smile...even on the hard days. As a mom who's heart used to sink every time the phone rang during the middle of a school day I couldn't feel more blessed to say I dont panic anymore. Mrs Tykwinski will send me the kindest messages and stories about things Daxtons done on a regular basis. She makes sure we hear all the good and progress that he makes and not just the tough stuff. If its been a rough day I've even heard from her at 9pm as shes sent heartfelt messages that a mom with a difficult child really needs to hear. She is every parent and child's dream come true and what you wish every teacher would strive to be. She deserves all the acknowledgement and appreciation in the world. I hope she never forgets what an impact she is making on children's lives. Shes definitely made a huge impact on ours!! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!!❤️