When state education officials named French Run Elementary School second grade teacher Taya Kidd as Ohio Teacher of the Year, hundreds of students erupted in applause.
Kidd, a Reynoldsburg schools alumna herself, said that she thinks of the school as a "greenhouse." During the ceremony, she invited all the district staff to come and place a scoop of soil in a bucket, then invited children to come and place seeds in the bucket.
"Teachers are the tools of the garden, we don't get to pick the soil, we don't always get to pick the season – but we show up and we show up every single day – and we dig in, we water what's been planted and we trust growth is coming even when we don't see it yet" Kidd said.
Kidd, who has been at Reynoldsburg City Schools
for nine years and has been teaching for nearly two decades, began her teaching career as a substitute teacher after graduating from Central State University with a degree in early childhood education.
She teaches second grade, serves on the building leadership team, is part of the professional development committee and also coaches basketball for the Pickerington North High School women's freshman team.
Sophia Hatta, a French Run fifth grader who had Kidd as a teacher, said Kidd was "the best second grade teacher I could ever have."
"It's so exciting to see my second grade teacher the teacher of the year in Ohio," Hatta said. "She soars every day, she helps everybody learn and is very respectful, even when people are mad."
State Superintendent Phillip Wagner, who helped present her the award, said that Kidd "represents the best of what every educator should aspire to be."
"Dedicated and passionate with a great balance of high expectations for all students coupled with the will to provide whatever support students need to be successful," Wagner said.
In July, Kidd received the State Board District 6 Teacher of the Year recognition, one of 11 teachers statewide to receive the district-level honor.
From there, Kidd was named one of four teachers named as a finalist for Ohio Teacher of the Year. As the Ohio Teacher of the year, Kidd will serve as an ambassador for the teaching profession and public education and represent Ohio in the 2027 "National Teacher of the Year" selection.
Kidd said she was blessed to have received the award. She added that the "secret sauce" is meeting the kids where they are.
"Teaching is a joy-filled profession," Kidd said. "My mindset is 'I know somebody needs me,' and I know that I would want my daughters to have a teacher like me."
Cole Behrens covers K-12 education and school districts in central Ohio. Have a tip? Contact Cole at cbehrens@dispatch.com or connect with him on X at @Colebehr_report
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Reynoldsburg elementary teacher named Ohio's teacher of the year
