IRMO, S.C. — One look inside Maureen Kaufmann's classroom and you'll see students ranging from kindergarten through 5th grade learning in a way that is unique to their abilities.
Kaufmann is a special education teacher at Oak Pointe Elementary School in Lexington-Richland School District 5. This is her first year at the school, but she is already making an impact on the lives of her students and their families.
Tiffany Grimes nominated Mrs. Kaufmann for the News19 Teacher of the Week award. She describes Kaufmann as an educator who "knows the importance of communication and takes the time to keep her student’s parents in the loop on what their child is doing each day."
"Like many teachers, her day doesn’t end when the dismissal bell rings, but she goes above and beyond by researching or attending additional training or learning seminars that give her tools or a better understanding of different areas to enable her to think outside of the box to help her students when needed," Grimes added.
Grimes said that her son has made incredible progress while in Mrs. Kaufmann's classroom, and she's excited about opportunities available for him to move into general education studies.
Kaufmann says a lot has changed since she became an educator, but nothing beats the feeling of seeing a child meet goals, transition into general education and graduate from her class.
Kaufmann says her love for her students is why she believes she'll be an educator until it's time for her to retire.
If you know a teacher like Mrs. Kaufmann who deserves to be recognized for their hard work in the classroom you can nominate them for the News19 Teacher of the Week by emailing TOW@wltx.com.