Student Nomination Story

Please select Mrs. Jane Olsen as your teacher!!!! If I could nominate her 1,000 times I would. Over the summer of 2018 my 6 yr old daughter Sera was struck by a truck while crossing the road on her bike. Sera has had a mountain of difficulties that she has faced and will continue to battle as she heals. Her personality changed overnight. Due to the accident she now has anxiety, anger, trust issues with others, migraines, back pain and a host of additional challenges. As the new school year approached she was terrified to say the least. Mrs. Olsen came to OUR HOUSE prior to back to school night and spoke with Sera, they laughed, joked and learned about each other. This moment was a defining shift in our daughter. I can not even begin to explain how Mrs Olsen has been a vital part of Sera's healing and success. Mrs. Olsen continues to create an environment where my daughter and other classmates feel safe, loved and encouraged. She is in constant contact with me regarding my daughters progress. My daughter comes home daily with stories about Mrs. Olsen and how she wants to be more like her. Mrs. Olsen has done more for Sera than ALL the Dr.'s, therapists, and specialists combined. She showed Sera love, compassion, encouragement, and hope. Hope that she can do it, that she can be brave and try new things despite the disappointment and pain she has experienced. I want to convey somehow just how amazing Mrs. Olsen has been. I have never in my LIFE seen a teacher so caring and dedicated as she is. The cherry on top may be that Mrs. Olsen doesn't just treat my Sera this way. She treats all her students this way. She loves them all. She is also so caring of us as parents and is always updating us with classroom news, photos, special dates to remember and class goals that the kiddos are trying to reach. Everyone feels loved and included. Each child builds up the others and treats each other with kindness. Currently she is focusing on “Filling others Buckets.” This is a challenge for all students to do nice things for other students, parents, siblings, teachers. Everyone has a bucket, grandparents, friends, neighbors, we all have buckets. Your bucket and mine has only one purpose, it is to hold your good thoughts and good feelings about yourself. Full buckets means your happy. An empty bucket means your sad. When you hurt others you take from their bucket. But you can fill buckets too, by being kind, saying nice things, loving others, helping and smiling. In a sense Mrs. Olsen is not only strengthening her classroom she is also building up our school and our community by advocating this idea. All these little kiddos are trying their best to fill not only their bucket but everyones bucket. I just love Jane Olsen for her dedication to teaching. She isn't just a teacher, she is healer. There is no one else more deserving that she is! Please select Mrs. Olsen from Canyon Elementary, Hyrum Utah. Thank you so much, Ranae and Sera Blanke

Sera Blanke

To see more exceptional teacher nominees, visit The Honor Roll.