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Bluffdale • The visitor in Karen Gorringe's classroom brought her math lesson to an abrupt stop.
"We found a big, red, horned caterpillar on the playground!" exclaimed 11-year-old Alyson Lamoreaux.
Gorringe, a sixth-grade teacher at Bluffdale Elementary, set aside the rest of her lesson plans and encouraged students to examine the bug under a microscope. They drew pictures of the red giant, monitored its behavior and made observations on its appearance.
"Anything you can do to bring their world into what you teach is so important," Gorringe said. "[The caterpillar] definitely wasn't planned, but it became a science, writing and art exercise. You have to teach in the moment and use that enthusiasm and motivation, and hopefully that will translate into them becoming lifelong learners."
That philosophy and her unwavering drive to bring dynamic projects and teaching methods to her classroom are among the reasons Gorringe has been recognized as a finalist for the Horace Mann Awards for Teaching Excellence. She was nominated by the Utah Education Association to be the state's representative in the national contest. Gorringe is one of five teachers in the U.S. to receive the award, along with a $10,000 bonus. She and the other teachers will travel in February to Washington, D.C., where one of them will be named the overall winner and receive an extra $25,000.
The recognition was a wonderful surprise for Gorringe, who plans to use the $10,000 to pursue a master's degree in education administration from Brigham Young University.
"It's so humbling and I'm just really thankful," she said.
Principal Ken Westwood said he's not at all surprised Gorringe won the honor. "Karen always goes above and beyond as an influential educator. And many parents [specifically request] her as their child's teacher," he said.
Bus driver Kathy Wheeler says Gorringe is beloved by the faculty and staff because of her sincere and gentle nature. "She's one of the best, just a super teacher and a really nice person."
Gorringe says she strives to build self-esteem and create a safe environment where students can come to her with questions. "I don't want them to be afraid to say they don't understand the material. People know that all kids don't learn the same way, so I try to fit all learning styles and am constantly trying to adapt to their needs," she said.
Gorringe's students love that she is supportive and approachable.
"She puts confidence into us," said Kayle Ballard, 11. "She's really patient, like, if I don't understand something, she always explains it and makes sure we get it."
"Yeah, [because of her] we know we can do anything we set our minds to, so we try as hard as we can," Alyson said.
Fellow classmate Grant Christensen, 11, says Gorringe makes school work fun. The unanimously popular space oven experiment is one example. Students at the year-round school were recently divided into groups to design an "oven" out of a cardboard box covered in tinfoil. They then placed the box over a pan containing cookie dough and left it outside in the sun. A few hours later, students were delighted to find freshly baked cookies. Aside from the tasty treats, they learned about conduction, convection and radiation.
"That was my favorite, by far," said Kayle, who conceded that she also is really excited about a current project on mummies. Students put the finishing touches on the assignment in which they mummified a doll by covering it in papier-mâché.
As for the caterpillar, Gorringe says she has no specific plans, but will probably keep it in the classroom so the kids can see it turn into a chrysalis and watch it hatch.
"I hope we get to keep it as a classroom pet!" Alyson exclaimed.