Lynette Kern, Geneva Elementary in Orem

“I have known Lynette Kern since my son who is now 22 was in kindergarten. She was his special education teacher. I also work at Geneva Elementary and have become friends with her and I see the work she does every day. In a normal year she has a ton to do, but with covid it has been even more intense. Covid brought a lot more challenges to the already hectic day for all teachers but for special education teachers it has been even more challenging. The work that has been put on their shoulders, has been tremendous and add to it all of the mountains of paperwork they do on each child they teach. With all of this extra work she still manages to reach out to “the one”, to each and reach every student. This year our school will be closing and she will be retiring which makes this even harder. She is a phenomenal teacher. She ALWAYS goes the extra mile with every student. She loves her “her kids!” She will do everything in her power to make sure that each student gets the education that will best benefit them. She is always learning new teaching techniques and ideas that will benefit her students. She has worked miracles in so many of her students. She loves each one. She spends a lot of time after school even until late in the evening planning and preparing lessons for her special children. My son loves Mrs. Kern. She always made him feel important and special. She believed in him and still does to this day. Special Education teachers don’t get the recognition that they so much deserve and this is true with Lynette. They teach many children from different grades at all different levels of learning every single day. They are truly the miracle workers of the school. When you have a fantastic teacher like Lynette you don’t want to see them retire. We all love Lynette Kern at Geneva Elementary. My daughter who is now a teacher and has worked with other special education professionals will tell you that Lynette is simply the very best. Because Lynette caters to each individual child. She knows her students, she knows what each one needs. I am so grateful for her and to her. She truly has not only changed my son’s life but so many others who have since come after him. She is simply the best there is. Most teachers have room parents that do special things for them throughout the school year, but not special education teachers. They don’t get special awards like teacher or employee of the year etc, yet they so much deserve it. They often get overlooked yet they put in so many extra hours for their special students. I want Lynette to be recognized for being the fantastic teacher and friend that she is. I want her to know that we as the parents of her students love her and respect her as well as our kids love and respect her. Our students have truly been blessed to have had her in their lives. She deserves this and so much more. She very much makes a difference in the lives of each child every single day. I will always be grateful to her for the difference she made in my son’s educational needs and in the lives of all her students. She is truly the best there is.”

Submitted by: Karen Draudt

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