Utah teacher loses teaching position after making finals for ‘America’s Favorite Teacher’
Mar 17, 2025, 8:00 AM | Updated: 8:08 am
An Ogden area teacher has been nominated for the America's Favorite Teacher award on the heels of finding out she's being let go. (Canva)
(Canva)
SALT LAKE CITY — An Ogden area teacher has been nominated for the America’s Favorite Teacher award. This news comes on the heels of finding out she’s being let go.
“This is really exciting news on a really hard week,” said Gilda Hansen, kindergarten teacher.
Hansen was notified that she is being displaced, meaning she no longer has a kindergarten teaching position at Roosevelt Elementary.
Weber School District cited low enrollment numbers for kindergarteners at that school as the reason she was let go.
“It’s unfortunate because she’s such an amazing teacher and it’s just unfortunate that those are the circumstances where she’s at. We’re going to have to make some adjustments there,” said Lane Findlay with the Weber School District.
Findlay said Hansen wasn’t fired from the district and they are going to try to see if something opens up for her elsewhere.
But this nomination for America’s Favorite Teacher is giving Hansen hope.
“Seeing that kind of support for something, seemingly silly like a nomination, it just makes you feel good and it makes me know that whatever I’m doing, it’s right. Everything else will fall into place,” said Hansen.
Hansen teaches a lot of siblings of former students and has bonded with their families. So the news that she will no longer have a job at her school has made her emotional.
“I’m sad when parents say, ‘Hey so-and-so is coming,’ and I won’t be here. Because you grow to love these kids.”
Earning the America’s Favorite Teacher nomination
Hansen is one of only 15 teachers nominated from across the country. Parents said she’s deserving because she goes above and beyond for her class which has many English language learners and some refugee students.
“Ms. Hansen is bilingual. She speaks English and Spanish fluently. I’ve heard her many times giving instructions in English and in Spanish. How she’s able to do both and help the kids excel and succeed is just amazing. It makes the kids feel more comfortable by acknowledging both languages and giving importance to both,” said Jennifer Jackson, the mother of twins in Hansen’s class.
Jackson also said the individual attention Hansen gives to her students was one of the reasons she requested her twins be in Hansen’s class this year. Jackson’s twins needed some extra attention with their communication skills and Hansen actively keeps the family in the loop on their progress.
“It’s not just an auto-generated text that goes out to everybody. She texts us personally to let us know how our kids are doing and what we can do to help them,” said Jackson.
If Hansen wins the Reader’s Digest competition, she will receive $25,000, a trip to Hawaii, and a virtual Bill Nye assembly for her school.
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If she wins, Hansen says she wants to stock up on books and STEM kits for her classroom, as well as snacks and meals for her students. She also wants to start an English class for parents.
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