Borders teacher nominated for top award

A Borders teacher has been nominated in a national Teacher of the Year competition, led by Miconex and sponsored by group collecting platform GiftRound.

Toni-Michelle Lee from Melrose Primary School was nominated for Teacher of the Year by Iwona Janczuk, whose daughter Soraya attends the school. Iwona said:

“I have four children, three in education and we’ve relocated a number of times. The children have had lots of good teachers but nobody so dedicated and devoted to the children as Miss Lee. I think everyone has one teacher that they remember through their lives, and for us, that is Miss Lee. She is amazing with the children and this shines through in the respect they have for her.

“Miss Lee teaches my seven-year-old who is not afraid to say ‘no’ to a teacher or test boundaries, but Miss Lee has performed miracles with her. What Miss Lee does well is to recognise each child’s individual needs. For example, Miss Lee realised that Soraya struggled with repetitive tasks, and this made it look like she wasn’t paying attention. Armed with this information, Miss Lee managed to turn Soraya’s attitude to learning around completely.

“This has had such a huge impact on our home life too. There was a time when Soraya wouldn’t complete her homework but Soraya is so much more engaged now and her academic attainment has increased hugely. What Miss Lee has achieved with Soraya really touches my heart.

“Despite being very busy, Miss Lee never makes you feel that she doesn’t have time for you and is always happy to discuss any issue and come up with a solution. She cares about all of the children, even those not in her class. Being from Poland, the high school system is quite new to me, and Miss Lee has even made time to explain things that I didn’t understand. My list could go on. Miss Lee is a one-of-a-kind amazing teacher.

“Melrose Primary School is a brilliant school. Moving from Edinburgh, we really noticed the community feel, and the care that teachers have for the children. Primary 1 to Primary 3 classrooms are open plan, and I think that encourages the supportive environment of the school. Miss Lee is quite new to Melrose Primary School and fits perfectly.”

It is free for people to nominate their Teacher of the Year and all types of teachers are eligible including primary and secondary school teachers, higher education teachers, early years teachers and special educational needs teachers in the UK. The Teacher of the Year competition runs until the 31st August 2024 and the winning teacher will be announced in September 2024.

The teacher who receives the most votes will be crowned as Teacher of the Year in the national competition. The Teacher of the Year, and their school, will each win a £500 Scotland Loves Local Gift Card or Town & City Gift Card. One person who nominated the Teacher of the Year will also win a £250 local gift card.

Miconex’s local gift cards can be spent with local businesses, encouraging a ‘shop local’ ethos and locking spend into local economies.

Colin Munro is the managing director of Miconex and said:“Congratulations to Miss Lee and Melrose Primary School for their nomination. The story shows the true impact of the work that teachers and schools do to inspire, educate and care for children. If there is a teacher who has made a difference in your child’s life, now is the time to nominate them. It’s free and there is a fantastic prize on offer.”

The Teacher of the Year competition is sponsored by group collecting platform GiftRound. Founded in 2018, GiftRound gives people an easy way to collect money for various occasions, including end of term gifts. Town & City Gift Cards are available to buy on the GiftRound store.

Craig Forsythe, CEO & founder at GiftRound, said: “We’re delighted to sponsor the Teacher of the Year competition so we can bring recognition to the many hard working teachers across the UK and Ireland. Teachers’ gifts are amongst the most popular collections on GiftRound so we know how appreciated teachers are by parents and children. We hope that people take this opportunity to nominate a teacher that has made a positive impact on their child’s education or their school community, and we look forward to celebrating with the winner of the Teacher of the Year in September.”

Nominate a teacher in the Teacher of the Year competition at teacheroftheyear.co.uk