Amanda Jensen, Elementary MAT ’13, Named Regional Teacher of the Year
Jensen is a third grade teacher at Highland Elementary in the Gresham-Barlow School District, and one of 16 teachers selected across the state of Oregon as 2023 Regional Teachers of the Year.
Jensen, a third grade teacher at Highland Elementary in the Gresham-Barlow School District, is one of 16 teachers selected across the state of Oregon as 2023 Regional Teachers of the Year. She describes herself as “a passionate, creative, intentional leader who finds the spark in every student by ensuring a community that fosters safety, individuality, radical empathy and belonging.”
“Amanda is a truly remarkable educator and mentor. She models social justice and antiracist pedagogy in everything she does and strives to empower students to make a difference in our world. She is so deserving of this award and we are honored to be able to claim her as an alum.”
According to OregonTeacheroftheYear.org, the Teacher of the Year program was created to recognize exemplary public school educators—Oregon teachers who inspire students and make a positive impact in the communities in which they live. The award celebrates knowledge, dedication, innovation and leadership. As a Regional Teacher of the Year, Jensen received a $1,000 cash prize from the Oregon Lottery and was also in the running for Oregon’s 2023 Teacher of the Year.
In a press release shared by the district, Gresham-Barlow superintendent James Hiu says Jensen is the “epitome of an exceptional, professional educator.”
“Amanda Jensen believes in the capacity of each of her students to succeed,” continues Hiu. “She empowers students to find their voice and inspires in them a love of learning.”
Linda Griffin, Lewis & Clark’s Elementary MAT program director, recalls an example of Jensen’s excellence and unique creativity from Spring 2020.
“Amanda was mentoring Quin Nelson, a Lewis & Clark student teacher, in her third grade class that year. Together they had planned a really remarkable mural project with their students, inspired by a unit on Wangari Maathai that Quin had recently taught. However, as is the all too familiar refrain, the pandemic got in the way.”
Jensen and Nelson postponed the completion of the mural for two years, but the students (now fifth graders) finished it in 2022.
“It was a mural two years in the making,” says Jensen in the text posted along with the video on YouTube. “This group of students began their mural in third grade during the spring of 2020. They were able to complete it in spring 2022 as fifth graders–leaving their mark on Highland before heading to middle school.”
The video is available below or online.
“Amanda is a truly remarkable educator, and mentor” says Griffin. “She models social justice and antiracist pedagogy in everything she does and strives to empower students to make a difference in our world. She is so deserving of this award and we are honored to be able to claim her as an alum.”
Learn more about Lewis & Clark’s MAT programs at https://graduate.lclark.edu/departments/teacher_education/ . Applications are currently open. Classes begin June 2023.
