Licking Heights 5th grade math teacher vying for the title of 'America's Favorite Teacher'
Jessica Tonstad is in her first year of teaching, and she already might be one of America's favorites.
The Licking Heights teacher is vying for the title of America's Favorite Teacher in a nationwide contest, held by Reader's Digest and the nonprofit Teach for America. Online voting for a wild card round that would send Tonstad to the quarter finals began Friday and ends Sunday. People can vote once per day or donate to Teach for America to vote multiple times.
This is Tonstad's first year in the classroom as she returned to the workforce after she and her husband had three children, now 7, 6 and 3. The oldest two are Licking Heights students themselves.
Tonstad, a native of Cincinnati, said she deeply believes in giving back to her community. It's why she was in social work before having children, and now she's giving back as a fifth-grade advanced math teacher at Licking Heights' Central Intermediate.
"I just think it's really important to give back through everything you do, and I am able to do that through teaching," she said. "Not just through giving back to the students with their education but (also) by helping raise good community members and letting them know that I am part of the community."
Teaching in the same city where she lives means she sees her students at the grocery store, at her own kids' soccer games and at community events like a local Easter egg hunt, she said.
"It's neat to be able to let them know that not only am I teaching them here, but I'm a part of their community and I want them to feel that," she said.
Several months ago, Tonstad saw an application for the America's Favorite Teacher contest on Facebook and decided to apply. She learned months later that she was selected as a contestant. If Tonstad advances to the quarter finals, voting would take place from May 6-16.
The contest winner gets a trip to Hawaii and $25,000, which Tonstad said she would use to get her master's degree in educational leadership. Long term, Tonstad said she would like to be in a leadership position within a school district.
Central Intermediate Principal Sandra Phillips said Tonstad is devoted to each student's success, and she's kind and compassionate with every child.
"She is the type of teacher that every parent wishes their child would have," Phillips said.
When Phillips interviewed Tonstad last year, it was for a kindergarten teaching position. But Phillips said she quickly realized Tonstad would be a great fit for the intermediate school — and she was right.
"The teachers love her. The students love her," Phillips said. "She's just very committed to learning the math to be able to teach it to her students in a fun way."
Tonstad's fun methods were on display Wednesday as her students built animals out of boxes of various sizes as part of a math project. In the next phase of the project, students will calculate the volume of their creations.
Tonstad said she loves the "lightbulb moments" when she sees a concept click for students. But she also equally loves when students tell her about their day or their lives outside of school because those little moments build critical rapport.
"I think that when the students look at you as a friend and someone that they can confide in, I think that not only does that help build your connection, but they're more attentive when they're in your classroom. They pay attention. They really care about what you're saying," she said. "It also makes giving feedback that much easier because there's a trust and they know that I'm coming from a place of love when I give them feedback."
How to vote
You can vote for Tonstad online at https://americasfavteacher.org/2024/jessica-tonstad.
mdevito@gannett.com
740-607-2175
This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Licking Heights teacher in running for 'America's Favorite Teacher'
