Wilson Elementary School third grade teacher Caitlin Davis was named LCSD Teacher of the Year for 2023-2024
LOGAN—Logan City School District announced their Teacher of the Year for 2023-2024 as Wilson Elementary School third grade teacher Caitlin Davis.
“Caitlin is a great example of what teachers do to build that trust in parents and to deserve that trust,” LCSD Superintendent Frank Schofield said. “She’s a great example of what is done by teachers across our district and across the country who daily provide those quality experiences for kids.”
Davis moved to Cache Valley from Preston, Idaho 11 years ago to attend Utah State University and stayed in the valley ever since.
Davis said she has always known she wanted to be a teacher but it was having the opportunity in high school to help as an aide in an elementary school that helped her solidify her love of teaching.
“I just fell in love with it,” Davis said. “It was my first real experience being in a classroom like in elementary or helping out and I just loved it.”
Davis said one of her favorite parts of teaching is seeing the impact she has made on her students.
“When like students, like your former students will come up and hug you or they have like such good things to say about their experience in your class,” Davis said. “You can just tell oh yeah ok I did make a difference for that student or those students.”
Wilson Elementary School Principal Morgan Cole said Davis received an overwhelming amount of support from not only teachers and staff but also from former students and parents.
Cole said one of the things that stuck out to her from the nominations for Davis was not only the impact she has had on her students but also the atmosphere she creates for her students.
“Number one thing that we saw throughout those nominations was just how big of an impact Caitlin made on their students and the classroom and atmosphere she creates for those students,” Cole said. “She really looks at the student as a whole instead of focusing just one part of the student and that was very clear in all the nominations of how she made people feel.”
Schofield said that although he cannot visit Davis’s classroom as often as Cole, he noticed Davis has different structures in her classroom to address the plethora of the needs of each student.
“We have students with emotional needs, students with behavioral needs and of course, students with academic needs,” Schofield said. “Caitlin has structures in her class that she uses to address all of them to make sure that the class is a safe place for students, that it’s a positive environment, that they feel encouraged, that they feel valued and that they receive that academic instruction that they need to keep moving forward.”
Schofield said he was impressed by Davis’s ability to harness student’s energy towards learning.
“Third grade can be a very high energy place and one of the marks of a master teacher is the ability to take that student energy and harness it and focus it on what students are trying to learn,” Schofield said. “Not stifle it but focus it and that is something Cailin does well.”
Schofield said he has also received feedback from many parents and how comfortable they feel with the amount of communication they receive from Davis.
“Caitlin is a great example of what teachers do to build that trust in parents and to deserve that trust,” Schofield said. “She’s a great example of what is done by teachers across our district and across the country who daily provide those quality experiences for kids.”
Cole said Davis was genuine and warm not only towards students and parents but her fellow teachers and staff as well.
“You can always count on her to always be that genuine warmth where you can go to,” Cole said. “It doesn’t matter who is coming to her but she is just giving and wonderful.”
Davis said she just continues to enjoy teaching and sees students for the potential they have.
“Looking at the end goal,” Davis said. “What can be and what can they do and just focusing on that rather than oh this is so hard.”