Ms. Jaime Long is the 2023 FMS Teacher of the Year! Ms. Long, a dedicated math teacher at Piedra Vista High School, has earned this special recognition because of her high standards, excellent teaching skills, and the positive impact she’s had on the academic achievement of students.
“I’m shocked! This announcement took me by surprise. I want to say that all teachers here deserve this recognition because they work so hard. I hope I represent all of them and their work well,” said Ms. Long as she reflected on the award and being celebrated by her peers during an assembly at the school library.
And the response to her nomination on social media was also a special surprise to her, she added.
“Ms. Long has been a teacher at Piedra Vista for 14 years. She has been a teacher for 19 years. If you want to see what doing 1 percent better every day is speak with Ms. Long, and spend time in her classroom. Congratulations,” said PVHS Principal Kelly Thur as he made the announcement to the school faculty on Thursday.
“Teacher of the Year is the most prestigious distinction Farmington Municipal Schools gives to a teacher, and this year, Ms. Jaime Long deserves that honor. Ms. Long is truly exceptional in her work with students, and she has made her school a better place. I want to offer my heartfelt congratulations to her on behalf of the district. I also want to express my gratitude to all the finalists this year, as they demonstrate an exceptional commitment to teaching. To all our teachers, I extend a sincere thank you for your dedication and commitment to the students and community. You all are the key to unlocking our students' full potential,” said Superintendent Cody Diehl.
The selection process involved a group of our leaders and past Teachers of the Year working together to select the best educator from among 459 nominations, including those from teachers, students, and members of the FMS community.
In the photo: Ms. Long was inspired to be a teacher by her mom and grandma, who were also teachers. Ms. Long holds a Master’s Degree in Secondary Education from Northern Arizona University (Flagstaff, Arizona), and a Bachelor’s Degree in Math from Union College (Schenectady, New York). She has been teaching at Piedra Vista High School since 2009, following previous experiences as a Math Teacher at Tsé Bit A’í Middle School and San Juan College.
In the photos: Last week, Ms. Long’s geometry class was learning how to find the multiplicative inverse of a number or the reciprocal. Ms. Long used an online quiz format that allows students to answer questions independently. Then, she reviewed their answers to see where students excelled and where they might need some additional practice. Ms. Long does a fantastic job encouraging her students and connecting with them as they work through their math lessons.
If you’d like to see more photos and highlights, visit our Facebook page.