Trisha Jensen, Monte Vista Elementary

“Mrs. Jensen goes above and beyond for each and every one of her students. I truly don’t know how she does it. My child had some big struggles this year. Mrs. Jensen helped her become confident and helped her feel like school is a safe place! Mrs. Jensen would do regular weekly check ins, seeing what she could do to help, and recognizing the small wins my daughter would have each week. She is patient and kind. She loves each of her students so much! The growth each child in her class has had socially and academically is incredible! She really puts her heart into her classroom, and the kids can all feel it!”

-Viansa Christensen

“Mrs. Jensen is incredible at building relationships with her students and their parents. It was not uncommon for me to receive a message from her outside of school hours letting me know things my son did that made her proud during the day. She also had a way of recognizing each kid as an individual and making them feel good about themselves. At the end of the school year, my son was close to tears, telling me how much he will miss Mrs Jensen and seeing her every day. She has been such an important part of him having a great year of school.”

-Ashley Lovell

“Mrs. Jensen has made first grade such a special and memorable year for our son. Her patience, kindness, and encouragement help every student feel seen, supported, and confident. She creates a classroom filled with learning, laughter, and care, and the positive impact she has on her students reaches far beyond academics. We are so grateful for the love and dedication she brings to teaching every single day. Thank you, Mrs. Jensen, for helping our son grow this year!”

-Megan Holt

“Words cannot describe how amazing Mrs Jensen is. My son was lucky enough to have her for first grade this year. And she took my rowdy and rambunctious boy and treated him as her own. She is the most patient and loving teacher. My son came home from school every day saying how much he loved his teacher and how funny she was. She is constantly encouraging and lifting up her students. She always makes sure to send home messages when the students worked hard or achieved something great and always wanted her students to know how proud of them she was. She is the type of teacher you wish could follow your student through every grade. My son was so sad when school was over because it meant he wouldn’t have Mrs Jensen as a teacher. He grew so much, no only academically this year, but also emotionally and self esteem wise and I attribute all of that to Mrs Jensen. We are so lucky to have her at our school and I can’t think of anyone more deserving of recognition.”

-Kristine Bunting

“Mrs. Jensen is our present-day Mary Poppins . . . “practically perfect in every way”. Her classroom is full of magic and wonder, turning learning into adventures and fun. Whether it is through math and phonics games, story exploration, hands-on science learning, fairy-tale writing, or friendly competitions, Mrs. Jensen brings an “element of fun” into “every job that must be done”.

She is a classroom management wizard and helps the children aim for and meet high expectations. Yet, most importantly to us, while working on their goals, Mrs. Jensen helps the students see that they are truly capable and smart. They know she believes in them and they learn to believe in themselves. They can feel and see that they are safe, respected, and tremendously loved. She is so patient and quick to encourage and celebrate each student individually. For example, she will text or email families so that they are aware and can comment on the great work the students are doing. She also asks the students to share with her other activities they do outside of school. She asks for pictures and videos so that she can be part of those important activities as well. Then she makes sure she comments and celebrates with them.

And while she acknowledges the difficulty of learning and that it is normal to make mistakes and have setbacks, her sweet first graders leave her class knowing they can do hard things and are excited to continue exploring. We are so grateful for Mrs. Jensen and the year of magic, silliness, and fun she gave to our daughter. We want to recognize her for all that she does for each student. We love her and know so many others do to.”

-Jennie Botkin

“My son is autistic and ADHD. He struggles to sit still, his speech is below average, he struggles with change, and he likes to run. Mrs. Jensen took the time to get to know my son. She figured out how he learned and when he needs break. She took the time to send me texts in the morning when she was going to be absent or things were going to be differant so that I can warn my son. She is also the most patient person I have ever met. I work in the school and I never once heard her raise her voice. She loves everyone of her students and is willing to do anything to help them!”

-Maddison A Nielsen

About Teacher Features on KSL NewsRadio

Teachers are the backbone of our community, and at KSL NewsRadio, we want to highlight the hard work they put in to help their students. 

Do you know a teacher that goes above and beyond? Nominate them today by letting us know how incredible they are, attach their photo, and they’ll have the chance to win a huge prize totaling over $1,000!  

Teacher Feature prizes are generously sponsored by the folks at Cyprus Credit Union, who are dedicated to honoring Utah teachers and uplifting the incredible ways that educators go above and beyond every day.