Meet Paxon’s Teacher of the Year
Holli Hiltbrand, tenth-grade English teacher, has been named Paxon’s Teacher of The Year.
Ms. Hiltbrand, who has taught here for seven years admitted that ‘’[She] was surprised’’ by her nomination, but it was ‘’such an honor to be nominated by other teachers as it was important to [her] that they [saw] value in the work [she has done] around the school and in the classroom.’’
For Ms. Hiltbrand, teaching was the perfect job for her because ever since she was young she has ‘’always been around children [from] helping in the nursery to teaching her own sister how to read.’’
“I couldn’t imagine myself having a desk job where you sat and do the same thing all the time.”
When it came time for her to pick a career she couldn’t ‘’imagine [herself] having a desk job where you sat and do the same thing all the time,’’ she recalls.
Ms. Hiltbrand, who has been teaching on and off since 1993, reveals the struggles she has faced since becoming a teacher.
‘’Teaching is very physically draining [because] you [must] be on your A-game,’’ she remarks about the struggles she and many teachers experience behind closed doors.
Since she won Teacher of the Year, she’s automatically nominated for the district Teacher of the Year award. The semifinalists will be announced on Nov. 23, and the finalist will be announced on Jan. 22, 2022.