Avondale preschool teacher wins Outspoken with Bruce & Gaydos’ Pay Tribute to a Teacher award

PHOENIX — A preschool teacher at a Phoenix Catholic school is this month’s winner of Outspoken with Bruce & Gaydos’ Pay Tribute to a Teacher award, sponsored by Your Valley Toyota Dealers.

Kelly Minten teaches 4- and 5-year-olds at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School, which is located near 137th Avenue and Thomas Road in Avondale.

“We do a lot of hands-on activities. We do a lot of readiness skills,” Minten told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Outspoken with Bruce & Gaydos. “We’re learning our letters, and our numbers, and our nursery rhymes, and, most importantly, we’re learning how to take care of each other and ourselves.”

The parent who nominated her for the $2,500 award said her influence has had a lasting, positive impact on her son’s emotional well-being and love of learning.

One unique way Minten fosters empathy, compassion and responsibility is by incorporating tortoises into lessons. They don’t always come to the classroom, but they travel well.

“A good friend of mine gifted them to me and they come into the classroom with the kiddos,” Minten said. “They hold them, they read to them, they cuddle them. They are well loved at preschool for sure.”

She said she uses the tortoises to teach children turn-taking and gentle handling. Lessons like this are critical for Minten, who has been teaching for 35 years.

She said the Pay Tribute to a Teacher award money will go right back into her classroom.

“I am gifted and blessed to have many things, but I’m probably going to buy something fantastic for the kids to really get their hands into, like some slime or some hands-on stuff,” Minten said. “You know, Valentine’s Day is coming up. We could really explore that.”

Want to nominate somebody for the Pay Tribute to a Teacher award?  Submissions are accepted here.

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